Unexpected
by queenofparkinglots
Summary: What if it had been Rachel who got pregnant instead of Quinn? This story follows the plot line and is very Faberry with a smidgen of Puckleberry friendship. It really gets better as it goes along, I think.
1. Chapter 1

For the first time in your life you are drunk. Your head is swimming with the wine coolers that Puck brought over as you allowed him to kiss your neck. You could not remember how you had got here with his large frame pressed on top of yours. You try to think back but it is all so hazy.

It had started innocently enough. He had come over because he needed to be tutored in math. Graciously you had agreed even though you did not really like the way that he had leered at you in the hallway. At the same time it was nice to have a boy look at you like that, like you are desired. You started off at your desk, both of you leaning over the math problems in close proximity. Suddenly Puck was pulling alcohol out of his bag.

"What are you doing?" you had asked outraged, looking around suspiciously like your parents would bust in the room at any moment.

"What? Loosen up? It will help you study." He cracked one open taking a long swig.

You glare at him, "Like I believe that for a second Puckerman."

"They taste good." He opens one up for you, brandishing it in front of your face. You look at it for a moment, a battle weighing in her mind. It does not hurt to try everything once after all. You take the bottle from his hand and cautiously sip the beverage. He is right. It tastes like grape juice, your favorite.

One turns into three and that is how you find out you are a lightweight. The numbers become hard to focus on as his breath is in your ear and he is stroking your hair, "You know you are really beautiful. Want to make out?"

You do not know what possessed her to say yes but his lips are on yours and his tongue is in your mouth. It is not completely unpleasant despite it being wet and sloppy. You suppose it has to do with your drunken state as his hands begin to travel up your sides. You want to stop him but he is so charming with his dangerous smile and sweet nothings that he murmurs to you. His hands make his way to your breasts and you blush deeply but do not do anything about it because he is kissing underneath your ear and it feels so good.

You do not know how long you have been kissing but his rough hands are suddenly under your skirt, tugging at your underwear and you feel something long and hard pressing into your center. It startles you as you try to pull away but you only manage to sink farther into the mattress.

"Noah, I am not sure about this…" You try to stop his advances.

"You are so beautiful though. Please, trust me." He is trying to keep the aggravation out of his voice. And you do not want him to be upset so you let him kiss you again. This time he manages a hand under your shirt and you have never felt anything like this a he pushes your bra aside and teases your nipple, you involuntarily moan. He is grinding his pelvis into yours and it is alleviating some of the pressure that you were unaware had been building there.

"Wait." You say as you gasp for breath.

"Just trust me." Puck says as he looks down at you.

You nod, "Just… tell me one more time."

"You are going to be a star babe." Puck tells you as he flips up your plaid skirt and pulls down your underwear. You do not know when he pulled down his pants but you feel his member sliding through you wetness. Normally this would not work. But today your confidence had been floundering. You had been slushied twice, Santana had made a cutting remarking about your nose, and Finn had ignored you all day as he fawned over his perfect girlfriend, Quinn Fabray.

You make a cry out in pain a little as he suddenly breaks through your barrier. He seems to apologize with a kiss and his thumb brushing over your clit. He is inside you moving slowly at first and you begin to relax as you get used to the steady thrusting movement. Right here it is easy to forget she is Rachel Berry, bottom of the social ladder. Here you are wanted as Noah moans your name, Rachel, not loser or tranny freak. Here there is no icy blast from a slushie, just his warm body against yours. He moves faster now and it hurts a little again. But the wine is numbing you and it helps. You watch what he is doing above, not really interested. You actually almost giggle at his grunting and his face contorting in pleasure.

You realize he is coming and it does not phase you because you are tired now from the alcohol in your system. Noah groans, "Oh, you are going to be a star."

Then he pulls out of you and he is getting off you, buttoning up his pants. You roll over and pay no mind to his movements as he gathers his things and leaves. He mutters goodbye but you ignore him. You are so tired. As you are drifting off to sleep, you aimlessly think that feeling wanted makes you feel oddly empty.

**Rachel gets pregnant instead of Quinn! Let me know if you are interested in me continuing. Will eventually be Rachel and Quinn pairing.**


	2. Chapter 2

Quinn fights the urge to roll her eyes as Finn shoves his tongue in her mouth.

This is how it is suppose to be, the two of them making out on the couch before his mom get home from work. She is the head cheerleader and he is the star quarterback. They are Romeo and Juliet, Barbie and Ken. After high school they are supposed get married have 2.5 kids and a golden retriever named Buddy. He will be an accountant and she will be a kindergarten teacher. They will live their life in marital bliss with good Christian values.

Except Quinn hates this. She hates trying to get comfortable on top of his bulky frame. She hates how he uses too much Axe Body Spray. She hates the stubble that grates against her cheek. She hates the way he tastes like potato chips.

What Quinn actually wants is entirely different. She wants a petite frame wiggling underneath her. She wants to smell violet shampoo coming off long brown hair. She wants a soft cheek grazing against hers. She wants to taste strawberry lip-gloss…

Finn rips her back to reality as his rough hands slip onto her butt. She stops herself from completely jumping off him and running for the hills. Instead she calmly pulls back with a small, practiced smile, "Wait."

Finn leans forward eagerly like she is going to take her top off or something but instead she throws him a curve ball, "Let's pray."

She watches him deflate and she had to force her laughter down. Quinn faces forward and slips her eyes shut. She places her palms together and begins her normal mantra when she is praying. _Please God, let me love him. Let me forget about her. I need to love him. Please take away my sinful thoughts. Let me forget her._

Because only Quinn and God know that she is not actually interested in Finn Hudson. It has been their secret for quite sometime that she would much rather be on the couch with a short brunette, tanned legs straddling her hips, full lips gently caressing her own. And Quinn would slip her hands underneath a plaid skirt. And she would be encouraged with a moan and hips shifting closer to hers. Because Quinn wanted to be Romeo and have a Juliet and she thought that Teresa would be a much better fit for Barbie than Ken and she did not want the star quarterback, she wanted another type of star.

But Quinn could not have that. She could not want to touch another girl like that. She could not be in love with the girl she was supposed to hate. Quinn Fabray could not love Rachel Berry.

**Just trying to set up the story. I am having difficulties finding the time to get this really started. I am sorry. Hopefully it will pick up soon.**


	3. Chapter 3

Rachel watches as Finn argues with his girlfriend Cheerleader Quinn. Well, arguing is not quite the right word. Quinn is yelling at her boyfriend for some idiotic thing he has done and Finn is cowering away from his girlfriend in fear. Rachel would be afraid too. Finn might be almost a foot taller than Quinn and could probably bench press her but the blonde cheerleader was vicious. Rachel would put money on Quinn any day.

"I cannot believe you Finn." Quinn tried to lower her voice but was failing.

"Quinn I do not understand why it is a big deal. It is just guy talk…" Finn tried to placate her but his voice was weak.

"No, when you tell the locker room that we spent the weekend in your hot tub it is not guy talk. It is not even true. You can not even last 5 minutes in the hot tub let alone all weekend." Quinn growled.

"I am sorry Quinn-" Finn tried to tell her but she cut him off again.

"I don't want to hear it." Quinn snapped.

"What can I do?" Finn seemed desperate now.

"I am just so over this Finn." Quinn sighed and rubbed her eyes tiredly.

"What does that mean?" Finn asked wide-eyed in fear.

"Finn, as the president of the Celibacy Club I have a certain image to maintain. And with you as my boyfriend I just do not think I can manage that to keep up that image." Quinn told him, a mask of cold indifference sliding over her face.

"So what? You are breaking up with me?" It sounded like Finn was going to cry.

"I am sorry Finn but we are over." With that Quinn quickly turned on her heel and confidently walked away from the shocked Finn Hudson. A delighted smile crept across Rachel's face as she witness the break up of McKinley High's power couple. This was her chance to make Finn her boyfriend. She had only been harboring a crush on the quarterback since the 6th grade. Then maybe the rest of the school would accept her. Maybe she would not slushied everyday or called RuPaul. Maybe she would not get egged on her way home from school, ruining the Hanukah sweater her Gram had made her. Maybe Quinn Fabray would want to be her best friend and she would finally have someone to talk to finally, though Rachel supposed she should not push her luck on that one.

Mr. Shuester had already gotten Finn into Glee Club and she had a plan to make sure he stayed there. The Glee Club's director was fantastic and inspiring in many ways but performing "Le Freak" at the school's pep rally was not going to win them the love of the school. Dated-disco was not the answer. Rachel had something better to sell to the school, sex.

_Get up on this… Get up on this, oh baby, baby. B-baby, baby, baby_

The opening lines of Push It filled the gymnasium. Quinn immediately leaned forward in her seat as she watched the beginning of the music number, tantalized by Rachel Berry's gyrating hips. She barely took any notice of the other Glee Club members on stage as her eyes followed the petite diva. And she was so adorable in her suspenders.

_S-s-s-salt and Pepper's here!_

Quinn became less amused when Rachel started to simulate having sex with Finn. Her blood burned with jealousy as her ex-boyfriend manhandled the girl of her dreams. She had broken up with him so that she could go after Rachel Berry not the other way around. After making out with Finn for a few times it was enough to convince her that she really did not prefer male company. Kissing the football player had only intensified her feelings for Rachel Berry, reminding her every moment of what she did not have. Finally the head cheerleader decided that what was the point of being on top if she could not do what she wanted. She would still be the head cheerleader Quinn Fabray if she dated a girl, which prompted her to drop Finn so that she could begin her plan of wooing Rachel.

Quinn tried to remain angry but hearing the brunette songstress begin to rap was funny beyond words. Rachel was far too white to be saying those things though she did appreciate the flash of thigh that was exposed as she sashayed around. And then Finn started rapping and Quinn cringed with disgust. The football player really had no game as he embarrassed himself in front of the whole school trying to keep up with the lyrics. Quinn tore her eyes away from the train wreck and glanced at Sue Sylvester who looked completely appalled, reflecting her sentiments exactly.

_Ah, push it. Push it good!_

Quinn nearly growled in rage as Finn picked Rachel up, the petite diva bouncing suggestively on his legs. Quinn was about to go beat Finn senseless when Coach Sylvester broke her out of her thoughts.

"Blossom, Bubbles, Buttercup, my office." Sue barked, referring to herself, Brittany, and Santana as the Power Puff Girls. Quinn quickly stormed out of the gym with Brittany and Santana following closely behind, extremely glad she did not have to watch the vile acts of hedonism being aped on stage. The last thing she heard was the rest of the student body erupting in applause. Quinn had to admit the performance was good, it not infuriating. The Cheerios entered Sue's office and sat themselves down in front of their coach's desk, waiting patiently for what she had to say.

"That was the most disgusting display perversions I have seen since I watch Jimi Hendrix do unmentionable things with fecal matter at Woodstock in '69." The older woman said contemplatively. Quinn resisted the urge to shudder as she pushed the most likely made up fact out of her mind.

"Girls, I want you to do something for me." Sue pulled herself out of her 'memories' and snapped the girls to attention, "I want you to join Glee Club."

"What? No frickin' way." Santana scoffed.

"Watch the attitude Rosa." Sue glared and Santana backed down resentfully.

"I want you to join Glee. I need you to keep me updated on what their little group is doing." Coach Sylvester said in a conspiring manner. "Their general can-do attitude and everyone-is-included mentality almost makes me as sick as the thought of the leader of the merry-misfits' Jerry Curl."

Quinn was not really sure what her coach was talking about but this was the perfect opportunity to tear apart Rachel and Finn's budding relationship, "Of course Coach."

"I knew I could count on you Q. From the moment I laid eyes on you, you reminded me of a young Sue Sylvester and today you could not have made me prouder. Now I need to crush their pathetic club so my budget will be restored. Honestly how are we supposed to win Nationals with that fleet of baby chimps." Sue shook her head.

"We could use baby ducks instead. I like baby ducks." Brittany piped up. Quinn hid her smile at the bubbly blonde while Santana beamed at her adoringly.

Coach Sylvester ignored her, "Alright ladies out of my office. And don't disappoint me."

Quinn nodded. She did not particularly care about ending Glee Club. Actually she was rather against it seeing as it seemed to make Rachel happy. But she would not concern herself with that now. She had bigger fish to fry, namely Finn Hudson.

Mr. Shuester was not happy with Rachel to say the least. He really responded poorly to her changing the number behind his back but he just would not listen. Of course in hindsight, 'Push It' was a little risqué to be doing at the school assembly although Rachel had always been one to go over the top. And yes it did put Glee Club in trouble with Principal Figgins. However that did not warrant him giving her solo to Quinn Fabray of all people. Earlier that afternoon the head cheerleader had strutted into their Glee rehearsal with Santana and Brittany in tow.

"Ah, there you girls are." Mr. Shue clapped his hands together happily.

Before Rachel could stop herself she squeaked out, "What are they doing here?"

Mr. Shuester seemed to ignore and address the whole Glee Club, "Everyone, I would like to introduce you to our three newest members!"

His announcement was followed with a dull, confused applaud as the three most popular girls at McKinley sat down wit the rest of the club. Rachel sunk into her seat as Quinn sent a withering glare in her and Finn's direction. Rachel managed to contain herself for the rest of rehearsal before she shot up out of her seat following Mr. Shuester to his office while the rest of the Glee Club filed out of the classroom.

"Mr. Shue, I want to talk to you about-" Rachel began to say but the Glee director cut her off.

"Good, Rachel, I needed to talk to you about something." Mr. Shuester looked at her seriously, "I think that you are not suited for the solo. I am giving it to Quinn."

"You are giving my solo to Quinn Fabray!" Rachel quickly forgot about whatever rant she had been gearing up for. Mr. Shue sighed.

"Look, I realize that I am just as much to blame as you are for the school assembly. I should have listened to you guys about the disco. But that does not excuse your actions. We need more members and Quinn did a heck of a job singing one of the songs preapproved by Figgins." He told her. Rachel just gaped at him.

"Rachel, I know you really care about Glee Club. You know when I was in Glee, disco revival was in its hay-day. We had so much fun." Mr. Shue laughed, making Rachel smile as well, "I cannot promise you will always be the star but I promise that I will always make sure you are having fun."

Rachel deflated as Mr. Shue walked away. But she liked being the star. Dejectedly, she left the choir room to go find her Daddy who was probably waiting to pick her up out front. Suddenly she heard her name being called.

"Rachel!" she turned to see Finn running to catch up with her.

"Oh Finn, hello" Rachel smiled to have the quarterback's attention.

"Hey Rachel. I was wondering if you could help me practice some singing stuff." Finn gave her a goofy smile. She ducked her head shyly.

"Of course I would love to help you." Rachel quickly agreed.

"Great," Finn beamed, "How about right now?"

"My father is picking up right now and I have tap lessons tonight. How about tomorrow? After Glee?" Rachel asked hopefully.

"It is a date." Finn beamed at her then he took sped off down the hall.

"See you tomorrow!" He threw over his shoulder and Rachel waved at him excitedly. It seemed that today was turning out better than she expected as Rachel planned the practice her and Finn would have tomorrow. She only had one shot at this and everything had to be perfect.

"You know, I was wondering why you asked my for help. You were great at the assembly." Rachel gushed as she poured Finn some of the Virgin Cosmos she had prepared for their picnic.

"You really think I was great?" Finn asked. Rachel nodded enthusiastically though he could loosen up with his dance moves a bit… but Rachel would not tell him that. Not when he needed all the self-esteem he could get to ask her out.

"What… what do you think of me?" Rachel asked quietly.

"Well when I first joined the club, I kind of thought you were insane." Rachel cringed as Finn continued oblivious, "But after the 'Push It' performance, I think you are pretty cool."

Rachel smiled at that. This was her opportunity; "You could kiss me, if you want."

Finn's eyes widened in surprise but he nodded and advanced slightly, prompting Rachel to lie down. Rachel licked her lips nervously as Finn hovered there anxiously for a moment. Awkwardly he pressed his dry lips to hers. Rachel looked up at his eyes squinted shut before shutting her eyes and relaxing into the kiss. It felt strange to have his lips moving against hers but Rachel was just so happy to be experiencing her first kiss she did not even care.

Finn suddenly jerked away, a strange look on his face and he leapt away from Rachel. The diva was shocked as she did not know what was going on, "Finn? Did I do something wrong?"

"No, I just…" Finn seemed to be embarrassed as her kept his distance from her now, "I just wanted to know if you wanted to be… my girlfriend?"

Rachel squealed with happiness as she shot up off the ground and threw her arms around the boy, "Yes Finn Hudson, I will be your girlfriend!"


	4. Chapter 4

**So Rachel is pregnant now and does not know it yet. This is set during the episode 3 Acafellas. I am trying to follow a rough guideline of the first season but I do not know where I am really going with it quite yet and I have been so busy with schoolwork. I really appreciate those who can stick with me! Let me know what you think.**

* * *

Rachel sighed. Mr. Shuester was being a little immature about her minor critique on his choreography. Their odds against Vocal Adrenaline were already stacked against them. Their funding allowed for the best choreographers, the best coach, the best costumes, and special effects. New Directions was barely scraping by with Mr. Shue's $60 a month and Mercedes fashion direction. Not to mention they did not even have enough members to qualify for Sectionals.

She just wanted what was best for Glee and everyone else seemed to be in agreement with her. Quinn, Santana, and Brittney had even gone out of their way to encourage her. She supposed it would just be best for her to apologize, which was why she had baked her homemade sugar cookies. She had spent all night making them and perfectly applying pink frosting with white letters spelling out 'I'm Sorry'.

"Mr. Schue," Rachel knocked confidently on the door of his office.

"Rachel what can I help you with?" The Spanish teacher looked up from his work.

"I have come to apologize for what I said about your choreography. I even made you my sugar cookies." Rachel presented the plate to him, "Normally I only make them at Christmas time for the homeless but I made an exception."

"Thanks Rachel. But there is no need to apologize." Mr. Schue waved her off.

"Yes there is. We need you back. You have missed the last six rehearsals and even when you are there you are negligent." Rachel informed him.

"I am sorry Rachel but I have been very busy with my Acafellas. I don't have time for it all." He shrugged.

"But Mr. Schue, what about Sectionals?" Rachel was taken aback.

"Well hire Wisconsin like you wanted." Mr. Schuester suggested.

"Dakota Stanley." She corrected.

"Whatever. Hire Dakota. I will be there to help you guys sing but other than that I am just too busy." The teacher turned back to his work while Rachel just gaped at him. Snapping out of it, she grabbed her cookies and stormed out of the room. She went straight to the choir room where the rest of the Glee Club was waiting for her to come back with the choir director.

"He is not coming." Rachel sighed as she joined the other members.

"What do you mean he is not coming?" Finn asked incredulously.

"He says he is too busy and that we should hire Dakota Stanley." Rachel told them.

"Well that is just great Rachel now what are we suppose to do?" Finn glowered.

"You are acting like this is my fault." Rachel snapped back at her boyfriend.

"Do you see anyone else in here with a plate of 'I'm Sorry' cookies." He retorted, "If you had not knocked him down we would not be in this mess."

"It is not my fault he could not take a little criticism." Rachel muttered though Finn's words stung her. He was supposed to be her boyfriend. He was supposed to support her no matter what.

* * *

Quinn glared hard at Finn, which seemed to become a habit for the blonde cheerleader. When she heard that Finn and Rachel were dating, she had been upset to say the least. It had thrown a major wrench in her plan to woo Rachel but she was not completely deterred. After all, Quinn knew what an awful boyfriend Finn was. Case in point, she did not like the way he was talking down to Rachel. The blonde had to watch Rachel's soft brown eyes filled with hurt as he carelessly trampled over her feeling. The head cheerleader resisted the urge to punch her ex-boyfriend in the face and stood up, interrupting the dueling couple.

"Look, Mr. Schester gave us what we needed: permission to hire Dakota." Quinn said coolly, "The Cheerios will host a car wash to help raise the funds to pay for him and we will be set."

"I still say we get Mr. Schue back." Finn crossed his arms petulantly. God, boys were such babies.

"Well let's take a vote. All in favor." Quinn turned to the rest of Glee Club as she raised her hand. Everyone's hands shot up in obedience and she smirked. She turned back to Finn and Rachel who were staring each other down. The petite diva raised her hand defiantly as Finn continued to pout.

"Looks like the ayes have it." Quinn smirked. Rachel looked at her and smiled gratefully at the blonde for standing up for her. The blond wanted to smile back at her more than anything, to let Rachel know she was not alone, that someone did care for her. But Quinn forced herself to ignore it and went to rejoin Brittany and Santana, pretending that her actions had nothing to do with the diva. In actuality Quinn would do anything for Rachel.

* * *

Rachel deflated slightly as Quinn Fabray snubbed her. She shook off the disappointment, scoffing at herself. How could she think that the most popular girl in school was actually sticking up to her? Though she could have sworn that the blonde had wanted to punch Finn at one point. However that could have easily been for her own benefit and not for the defense of Rachel. The short brunette understood how frustratingly dense her boyfriend could be.

The diva sighed. It was not like she was not used to having friends. She had been at the bottom of the social ladder since grade school with peppy, somewhat abrasive attitude, gay fathers, and love of argyle. Her peers just could not seem to comprehend her ambition, her goal-oriented thought, or her heart-stopping voice. So they ostracized her for it. But Rachel would take this hell in high school in order to get out of Lima, Ohio. There was no way that she was going to be a Lima Loser for the rest of her life, working at the elementary school as the music teacher, subletting an apartment, and coming home to her two cats, Claude and Shelia. Rachel shuddered at the thought. She felt like she was similar to Quinn in that aspect. The head cheerleader seemed like she was going places. Rachel had always admired Quinn's drive, her excellent GPA, and all of her extracurricular activities.

If she told the truth, she admired Quinn far more than she should. With her shimmering blonde hair, dazzling smile, smoky voice, delicious abs… It was clear that the cheerleader was beautiful. Rachel did not care to admit it to herself but she definitely had a bit of a crush on the girl. Even though she was deeply in love with Finn at night she would sometimes dream of the head Cheerio climbing her trellis instead of her boyfriend.

Finn was proving to be severely lacking in the boyfriend department. He forgot their dates sometimes to play video games with Puck. He never defended her or attempted to stop the slushie facials that she still received. It seemed like the only time he ever wanted to see her was when he needed something or wanted to make out. Rachel shuddered at the thought of making out. Finn was not very skilled in that aspect either. Sometimes she thought he was half golden retriever and he somehow always managed to taste like potato chips. Not to mention his little problem of getting over excited. Rachel cringed again as she thought of the time that they were kissing in his hot tub and next thing she knows he has his stupid 'o face' and the magic was over despite her cries of telling him to think of the mailman.

If she was honest with herself, Quinn had been showing up in her dreams more than Finn had recently. She loved Finn, really. It was only natural to think that the grass is greener on the other side. It was not strange for her to sometimes imagine her and Quinn in an apartment in New York, cuddling on the couch as they watched the first snow fall, or thanking Quinn for always supporting her in her Tony acceptance speech, or wondering what their kids would be like.

Because really Finn was just a stop on her way to stardom. Rachel knew that it was very unlikely her boyfriend was leaving this small town. He was the quarterback of the football team that could not win and with his dismal grades; he did not amount to much. He would be lucky to become a cars salesman. Rachel could not see their relationship lasting after high school. She was going places and Finn was staying put. She could not allow herself to be dragged down by a relationship, she had a career to think about despite the fact she was only freshly 16. What she needed was some who could keep up, someone maybe blonde with swirling hazel eyes that made her heart race.

* * *

Quinn bit her lip as she felt the sting of guilt as Dakota Stanley tore down New Directions. He had already cut Artie for being in a wheel chair, but Mercedes on a diet of coffee, and insulted Rachel's nose which had particularly irked Quinn since she happened to think it was adorable. The Glee Club was definitely falling apart and Quinn hated that she had a hand in it. Egging Rachel on to push Mr. Schue away and then convincing Mercedes to pursue a relationship with Kurt causing a rift to form in between them, it all made her feel rather lousy.

"I am sorry, am I hurting your feelings? I thought that is what I was here for, to whip you into shape. But maybe you cannot handle a little criticism." The short man sneered at them.

"Whatever. I quit. Come on guys." Finn began to storm away with the rest of the group blindly following. Typical Finn, running away from the problem, Quinn rolled her eyes.

"You guys wait." Rachel called to them and they surprisingly turned and listened, "Barbara Streisand."

"Who?" Finn blinked confused. Quinn shook her head. Was Rachel really dating him or did he really just not listen that much?

The diva ignored him and continued to talk, " When Barbara was a young ingénue, everyone told her that she needed to get a nose job. Thankfully she didn't because she knew who she was. And now she is the paragon of success that she is today. Let's face it. We are never going to be as good of dancers as Vocal Adrenaline. It is our differences that make us special. Being unique will help us win."

She smiled encouragingly at the rest of her teammates. Mercedes spoke up finally, "And they told J. Lo her butt was too big."

"Jim Abbott." Finn looked at Rachel as if he was apologizing. Quinn scowled as she realized the boy was weaseling his way back into Rachel's good graces.

"I have no idea who that is." Kurt deadpanned.

"He was a one armed pitcher for the Yankees. Pitched a no hitter." He told the musically inclined group.

"Yeah, misfits and rejects can make it too. So what is your point?" Dakota asked impatiently.

"My point Mr. Stanley is that we do not need you. You're fired." Rachel stood up to the harsh little man then she smirked, " And I am taller than you."

Quinn had to stifle her laughter as Dakota Stanley muttered, "Only by a little."

"And Mr. Schuester will definitely come back now that Acafellas is broken up." Finn cheered to the group.

The head cheerleader's heart swelled with pride for the diva. This was one of the things she loved about Rachel. She really believed in herself and the team. New Directions did not need back flips and confetti canons to win. All they need was to sing with all their hearts with Rachel Berry leading the charge.

Quinn's stomach suddenly dropped uncomfortably as she watched Finn wrap his arm around Rachel. The brunette smiled up broadly at her boyfriend making Quinn's heart clench in pain. She would do anything to have Rachel looking up at her smiling. She promised herself that she would make Rachel Berry her girlfriend if it was the last thing she did.

"Coach Sue is going to be pissed." Santana whispered to her.

"We will go tell her now." Quinn mumbled back as she forced her gaze away from the happy couple.

"I like whispering." Brittany joined in. Santana smiled at the airy blonde, completely enamored with her. Quinn smiled at her best friends who were so clearly in love. The three Cheerios began to walk out of the room.

"Later losers." Santana called to them. Quinn paused briefly in front of Rachel who was still in Finn's embrace.

"Good job Berry." The blonde told her with a mask of cool on, hoping Rachel could see past her frosty demeanor. She did not give the diva a chance to respond as she sauntered out of the room to join Brittany and Santana.

The cheerleaders headed to their coaches office but ended up leaving Brittany in the hallway with Jacob Ben Israel as his hair distracted her.

"It is like a Jewish cloud." She said in wonder as she constantly fluffed it. Quinn and Santana were left to go give the bad news to Sue themselves.

"So let me get this straight? Dakota is gone. Mr. Schuester is coming back and New Directions is stronger than ever?" Sue's voice was barely contained rage. The two girls nodded nervously.

"Well I have to say I am very disappointed in you girls. You will have to try harder until then, I am taking away your tanning bed privileges for the rest of the month." She told them. Santana immediately burst into tears as scurried out of the room. Quinn slowly followed but stopped before she got to the door, "Coach Sylvester?"

The abrasive woman looked up at her, "Thank you."

"Thank you for what?" The cheerleading coach asked.

"Thank you for showing me that if you really believe in yourself, you do not need to bring others down, to bring yourself up." Quinn said before making a hasty exit.

* * *

Rachel felt as though she were in another dimension as Quinn Fabray stopped to tell her good job. And she actually meant it. After the initial shock wore off she was unable to stop smiling. Finn had even noticed that she seemed happier than normal

Quinn said something nice to her. Maybe there was a chance for her. Maybe Quinn wanted to be her friend. Rachel did not dare hope for more for the straight-laced, Christian cheerleader. But she could settle for being friends. It would be enough for her.

**Sorry this took so long D: but please let me know what you think!**


	5. Chapter 5

Rachel clutches her books tightly to her chest as if she were trying to protect herself, protect the secret that she held inside. She could feel her whole world falling apart around her as she looked for her boyfriend.

It started early this week when she missed her period. Rachel never missed her period. Her body was in peak physical condition with her morning work out routine, vegetarian diet, and daily vitamins. It only got worse when before Glee practice one afternoon she had actually thrown up. She never got sick, ensuring that any trace of illness was eliminated with extra sleep and an excessive amount of herbal tea. Now extremely worried, Rachel quickly made an appointment with her physician to ensure that she was not dying.

"_So you have not been feeling well Rachel?" Mr. Smith asked as he sat down with her chart._

"_I feel fine most of the time. Maybe a little more tired than usual but that is to be expected of my age group considering all of my studies and activities." Rachel nodded._

"_And you have experienced some vomiting?" He said uninterested._

"_Yeah, generally in the afternoons." Rachel nodded. Suddenly he stopped short, his eyebrows raised as he read he chart._

"_Rachel when was your last period?" the doctor inquired._

"_Last month. It is late this time though." Rachel's brow crinkled with worry, "What is it? Am I dying? Do I have cancer?"_

"_No you are not dying, " He said trying to calm the panicking girl, "Rachel, you are pregnant."_

"_What? I can't be…" Rachel faltered. He mind raced back to that night with Noah Puckerman. She had nearly trained herself to forget that dreadful night. It was almost easy to forget since she barely remembered anything after he had brought out the wine coolers. The only reminder she had was the next morning when she had woken up with a splitting head and her body aching so much that she could not even get on her elliptical. But now sitting here in the doctor's office it all came slamming back to her. Noah kissing her neck, then Noah pushing up her skirt, and then… Had he not used a condom? She had let him use her and he did not have the decency to use protection?_

"_I am sorry. But you are." Dr. Smith looked at her with pity. Rachel felt tears begin to slip down her cheeks. She was pregnant._

"_I will leave you alone a minute." The doctor stood quietly and slipped out of the room. She was going to have a baby._

Rachel after leaving the doctor's office, she tried to call Finn and tell him. But each time she was about to call she ended up bursting into tears. How could she tell her boyfriend that she was pregnant with another man's child, that man being his best friend? Perhaps it was best that Finn just thought the baby was his especially considering how unreliable Puck was. The school badass could not handle raising a baby. He would not be there for Rachel when she needed hospital bills paid or when the baby needed its diaper changed. He had sex with anyone with breasts and drank like a sailor. He was not father material.

At Finn was a little dim to say the least but at he is loyal and would try to support her. She could even use this to her advantage and try to convince Finn that the baby is his. She came up to his locker where he was obviously putting his books away.

"U.S. History? I forgot I was taking that…" She heard him mumble as she tapped him on the shoulder.

"Hey Rach." He turned around with a dopey smile on his face.

"Finn, I need to talk to you." Rachel said nervously, tears already pricking her eyes.

"What is it? Is it about all of the potato chips I eat? Cause I have not had any today. Well except for that bag I had for breakfast…" Finn immediately got defensive.

"No Finn," Rachel shook her head. She pulled him down the hallway a bit where the crowd thinned out. She leaned against the lockers to support herself, "I am pregnant."

"What?" Finn's jaw dropped as she stared wide-eyed at Rachel.

"I went to the doctor this weekend. And I am pregnant." Rachel began to cry now.

"I- how? I mean, we didn't even…" Finn was clearly trying to wrap his head around what had just been said. Now was time to confuse him.

"That time in your hot tub." Rachel reminded the dull quarterback.

"We were wearing swim suits." Finn furrowed his brow.

"The doctor said that the temperature of the water makes the sperm swim faster or something. It is like steroids to them or something." Rachel looked up at him hoping she sounded convincing.

"What are we going to do?" Rachel felt slightly relieved that Finn did not question her.

"I don't know. I really thought I was going to get out of here." Rachel whimpered. The baby really did not fit into her 10-year plan. She could not take a baby to Julliard, or rehearsals for her leading role in Broadway. Her bright future seemed to be quickly diminishing as each day passed and the unseen life inside her grew a little bit more.

"It will be okay Rachel. We will figure it out." He pulled her into a hug as Rachel cried into his polo. The diva tried to take comfort in his arms but his hulking frame provided nothing for her except for a slight nauseous feeling as his aftershave and potato chip breakfast triggered her morning sickness.

* * *

Finn knew he was not the brightest crayon in the box but he really had the best intentions. However all of the good intentions in the world could not fix this problem. Rachel was pregnant with his baby. He was going to be a father in 8 months. He did not know how to raise a baby. His mom would not even let him have a goldfish. He stared blankly at his locker, paralyzed with fear.

"Hey man, don't think so hard. You look like you are about to blow a circuit." Puck punched him in the shoulder as he leaned against the lockers next to his best friend. Finn looked at the carefree bad boy and envied him. Puck pretended like he was indifferent to everything and everyone but he knew that his friend would be there when he really needed him.

"I need to tell you something." Finn had already cried to Mr. Schuester about the dilemma but he needed his best friends support to.

"What dude, you got an itch down there?" Puck asked. Finn scrunched his face, subconsciously looking down.

"No I-" he hesitated, "Rachel is pregnant."

* * *

"'S'up MILF?" Puck quickly found Rachel at her locker. The diva cringed.

"Noah." She greeted him but then sharply turned away in attempts to escape him.

"I hear that you are in trouble." Puck followed her persistently.

"If I am then it is no concern of yours." She said curtly. Puck grabbed onto her arm pulling Rachel to a stop in the hallway.

"I know that you have not had sex with Finn." Puck whispered to her.

"And how would you know that?" Rachel glared at him.

"You think Finn could keep something like that to himself, especially from me?" Puck raised a brow at her.

"Listen here Puckerman. I had sex with you that night because you got me drunk on wine coolers and you told me that I would be a star. But it was a mistake. I don't care if the baby comes out with a Mohawk; I will swear to the grave that the baby is Finn's. I will not end up stuck in this town with a Lima Loser like you." Rachel snapped before she stormed off to class. She should have known that Finn could not keep his mouth shut. She knew that Puck did not want to hurt Finn just as much as she did so she would not have to worry about him babbling. But she had not expected him to confront her like that. What was he trying to do? Did he want to help raise the baby? Rachel shook her head. She had already decided that Finn was the better father option. Finn could support her. Finn would love her. Hopefully.

* * *

Quinn could not stop staring at Rachel today. As a rule she generally tried to be subtle about it but she looked so… radiant. Though Rachel did seem sad. The diva was valiantly trying to cover it up but Quinn was an expert on Rachel's facial expressions making it easy for Quinn to detect any sign of disturbance in Rachel's other wise cheery disposition. Other than the melancholy, the brunette was practically glowing. Quinn forced her eyes away as Mr. Schuester walked into the room.

"Hey guys I have got this great, classic number that I want to try for Sectionals." Mr. Schuester said excitedly as he entered the room. "Tonight from the West Side Story."

Quinn looked around at the group. Kurt and Tina were nodding in approval and Rachel perked right up at the chance of another solo. No on else really seemed to care or know what Mr. Schue was talking about, Quinn included. The diva stepped forward with a huge grin, "Excellent choice Mr. Schue. I have always felt a bond with the character Maria-"

"Actually Rachel," Mr. Schuester interrupted her, "I am giving the solo to Tina. Maybe next time."

Rachel faltered. Quinn thought the brunette was going to slink back into her seat, even more down trodden then before but it seemed the diva changed her mind as she began to argue with the choir director, "I thought I made it very clear that anything for West Side Story goes to me."

"Not this time Rachel I am sorry." Will shook his head. Quinn watched on worriedly as Rachel got more upset.

"But Mr. Schue I was born to play Maria." Rachel huffed.

"Rachel please can you just be happy for Tina. She just got her first solo." He scolded her slightly. Rachel looked apologetically at the Gothic girl but continued her crusade.

"Mr. Schue I feel that I fit the qualifications more-" Rachel adopted her debating tone. Quinn wondered why she was fighting this hard. Yes, Rachel loved her solos but Quinn thoughts that she would at least be happy for Tina. What was going on with the pint-sized diva?

"Enough Rachel." Mr. Schuester ordered. Rachel stopped talking and glared at him.

"Well I can see that I am not needed here." She said lightly before turning on her heel and storming out of the room.

"You know the more times she does that the less effective it becomes." Artie commented mildly.

"Don't worry about her. She will be back." Mr. Schue sighed before smiling at Tina, "Congratulations."

Quinn was not so sure that their star was coming back this time. Something seemed to really be upsetting Rachel. And it was more than just having to forfeit her solo. The head cheerleader looked at Finn whose cheeks were tinged with blush at his girlfriend's antics. Quinn wanted to slap the boy upside the head and tell him to go comfort the distraught diva but he just sat there embarrassed. The blonde would have gone after Rachel herself but appearances were everything and she forced herself to stay in her plastic chair and play the role of Queen Bee. She would have to wait for Glee tomorrow when she could see Rachel again.

* * *

Rachel did not show up for Glee the next day. They were practicing in the auditorium today. The Glee Club was watching Tina on stage as she perched herself on a ladder Mr. Schuester had produced. Her voice was decent Quinn decided. The song would be infinitely better if Rachel had been singing it though. The head cheerleader could almost image Rachel singing it in her rich voice, knowing exactly how to emote the meaning of the song. For being so small, the diva's powerful voice could move an entire crowd to tears if she wanted to. The song was ending and Tina's voice became thin and sharp as the song slipped out of her range. Quinn tried to stop from cringing as Tina finished but there was no way they would win Sectionals with that.

"Excellent job Tina. You just need to practice the end a bit more." Mr. Schue told her encouragingly. Quinn admired his drive to let everyone shine but in this case she could not help but think he had picked the wrong songstress.

"Mr. Schue I s-s-s-suck." Tina stuttered.

"You don't. You deserve this solo." The choir director told her.

"Mr. Schue you should just give it to Rachel. She was not back today and we need her to win." Tina advised him. But Mr. Schuester just shook his head.

"Don't worry about Rachel. We will practice more tomorrow. Thanks everyone." The Spanish teacher dismissed them and all of the Glee members began to disband. Quinn stayed seat though. She had a free period and thought to just sit in the auditorium and catch up on her math homework. No one would notice her lurking in the back. She tried to concentrate on her algebra but her thoughts kept slipping back to Rachel. What had her so upset that she would leave Glee?

"Alright let's get this torture over with." Quinn jumped at the sound of her coach's voice. She looked up to see her walking in with Sandy Ryerson of all people, his mauve sweater wrapped around his shoulders.

"Oh Sue," Sandy chuckled as if she had told a joke but Quinn could tell the brash women was very serious, "Now let's rope us a star."

They sat down in the middle of the room and students began to come in one by one. Strangely they kept singing Celine Dion songs. Most were terrible and one girl did a decent rendition of My Heart Will Go On with the trombone, but some of them she was surprised that they were not in Glee. They were not the best but they did need people to sway in the background and look at Rachel admiringly. She did not just think that…

"My name is Rachel Berry and I will be auditioning for the role of Sally." Rachel bubbled. Quinn's attention snapped back to the stage as her object of affection appeared there. She looked adorable in her little blue dress and Mary Jane's.

"Proceed." Sandy said in a bored manner.

"Don't know much about your life. Don't know much about your world." Rachel's voice started out quiet but strong. Quinn instantly fell into a trance as she was mesmerized by the diva. Rachel poured her emotion into every lyric. Quinn felt herself falling deeper and deeper in love with each passing second.

"But what do you say to taking chances? What do you say to jumping off the edge? Never knowing if there's solid ground below or a hand to hold or hell to pay. What do you say? What do you say?" Rachel's voice seemed to be beckoning her, daring her to take this chance with Rachel. Quinn leaned forward listening to the angelic voice.

"And I had my heart beaten down but I always come back for more. There's nothing like love to pull you up when you're lying down on the floor, babe." Guilt shot through the head cheerleader as she thought of all the times she had put Rachel down. But now Quinn wanted to be the one to pull Rachel up. Finn was clearly not up to the task of being Rachel Berry's boyfriend.

Rachel's voice reached a crescendo as it soared through the auditorium. Everything seemed to be brighter in the world as Rachel sang, "What to you say to taking chances? What do you say to jumping off the edge?"

Quinn was in awe. It was all over too soon as Rachel softly ended the song, the last words haunting her, "Don't know much about your life. Don't know much about your world…"

Quinn silently got up and exited the auditorium unseen. She did not need to stick around to know that Rachel got the part. Quinn could tell that even Sue Sylvester looked moved. She left slightly bothered though as she realized how little she knew about the brunette. She did not know what she liked for breakfast or her fathers names or her favorite color. Quinn decided she needed to take action and soon. She had wasted enough time and wanted to know everything about Rachel Berry's world.

* * *

"All I can say is WOW." Mr. Ryerson spoke into the microphone. Rachel smiled expectantly, "Needless to say you got the part."

Rachel giggled with excitement as she bounced a little on her toes, "When do we start?"

Rachel was eager to begin work on the production. Sure it was just a school play but it was an excellent exercise for Rachel to practice when she made it professionally. That was if she made it. The diva unconsciously brought her hand to her flat stomach. It was hard to believe that a little person was growing inside her. Since she had found out she was pregnant, her confidence in making it to Broadway had faltered. A seed of doubt had been planted that grew with the fetus inside her.

The short brunette wanted to go back to Glee but she could not face the other members, especially Finn. With Puck recently joining the club recently, her guilt over the baby was doubled. Between the quarterback's worried glances and Puck knowingly staring at her it was difficult to bear.

The truth was she did not want to raise the baby with either of them. Finn was consistently there for her but naïve. He did not know what it took to raise a baby. He had no way for making money and probably did not know how to change a diaper. Puck was a wild card. He was unreliable but smart. The badass had his pool cleaning business and Rachel knew that he was really good at taking care of his little sister. To complicate things more Rachel realized that she did not love either of them. Her spark with Finn had diminished significantly, especially after she revealed her pregnancy. It turned out their chemistry only translated to on stage and not in real life. Puck was just a huge mistake that a drunken girl made in a moment of weakness. The petite diva felt no hope in either boy.

Later,

Rachel was surprised when Mr. Schuester interrupted her ballet class. Even though the class was over and Rachel was simply cooling down properly. She thought it was important that she was versed in all manners of performance arts to help further her future career. Ballet was just one of a long list of classes she took: Tap dance, voice lessons, modern dance, piano, and even a couple of hip hop sessions.

"Rachel." Mr. Schue greeted her. Rachel continued her routine.

"Mr. Schuester." She said formally.

"Rachel, why are you doing this? You love Glee." Mr. Schuester asked.

"While I do love to perform, I feel I that I have found a more constructive outlet for my talent." Rachel informed him.

"I am not going to lie Rachel we need you to win Sectionals. Please come back." The choir director said trying to appeal to her ego. Rachel stopped and turned to fact her teacher.

"Why should I?" Rachel asked honestly curious, "You are doing an excellent job of getting the other students to come out of their shells, expect me. Everyone still hates me. I sit by myself at lunch and I am still getting slushied every day."

Mr. Schuester gaped at her for a moment, "I am sorry Rachel. Please just come back to Glee tomorrow. You will not regret it."

Rachel did not respond. She proceeded to grab her dance bag and storm out. But Mr. Schue's voice stopped her in the door frame, "Rachel, I know about the baby. If you need someone to talk to-"

Rachel cut him off, not bothering to turn around, "Thank you for your concern but I will be fine."

She left the Spanish teacher in the studio. She tried to crush the murderous feeling she had rising toward Finn. The bumbling quarterback could not even keep a secret. She would be calling him tonight and giving him a piece of her mind.

* * *

Rachel stood by the piano in Glee the next day, waiting for Mr. Schuester to show up. The rest of Glee did not really note her presence. Finn had hugged her hello but was sitting next to Matt and Mike now. Puck and his Mohawk kept sending her deliberate looks that she was pointedly ignoring. Rachel then noticed something strange. Quinn Fabray was staring at her in a rather piteous, longing manner. The diva tried to keep her eyes diverted from the blonde. But she could not stop herself from making eye contact with the head cheerleader across the room. As Rachel held Quinn's gaze her heart sped up and her breath got caught in her throat. Surprisingly Quinn did not back down, just looking at Rachel as if she were trying to read her mind.

Their curly-haired director finally joined them, "Alright guys let's get started. We will start with the solo… Tina."

Mr. Schuester looked at Rachel to see her reaction but the brunette was barely listening to the teacher. Suddenly, Rachel ripped her attention away from Quinn and fled from the room. The pint-sized diva felt her cheeks burn with blush. Her stomach fluttered with butterflies as she hurried down the hallways. Rachel rushed out the front doors, needing the fresh breeze of autumn to cool her down. Tears spilled down her cheeks, as she was more confused than ever. Why had Quinn made her feel like that? She knew that she had a slight girl crush on the head cheerleader but nothing had prepared her to feel like that. It felt like…

No, Rachel could not think about it. Not with Finn hovering around, Puck breathing down her neck, and a baby on the way. Rachel cried harder as she slumped onto the front steps, trying to sort out her emotions.

"Hi there." Suddenly an older blonde woman was sitting next to her on the stairs, startling the brunette.

"Who are you?" Rachel recoiled from the stranger.

"Oh, I am Terri Schuester. Mr. Schuester's wife." She said happily.

"What are you doing here?" Rachel inquired confused.

"I heard about your situation." Mrs. Schuester's eyes trailed to Rachel's stomach.

"How?" Rachel did not like the feeling that this woman was giving her. She always thoughts she had a sixth sense about these things. She could not read minds yet but it was really nothing to be afraid of she thought.

"Do you have prenatal vitamins?" Terri ignored her question.

"Well, no-" Rachel shook her head.

"Here." Terri interrupted her as she dug through her purse and pulled out a bottle of pills, "Take these once a day, for the baby.

"Th-thank you," Rachel took them cautiously, "Why are you doing this?"

"Have you considered what you are going to do with the baby once it is born?" The older woman asked.

"I have not really had time to think about it." Rachel admitted.

"Well I have a proposition for you." Terri leaned in, "You are having a baby that you are clearly not ready for. I need a baby to save my marriage. Do you get where I am going with this?"

"You want my baby?" Rachel's eyes widened with surprise. She had considered adoption but the thought of giving up her child made her sick. At the same time, keeping the baby could ruin all of her dreams of becoming a Broadway star.

"We would be giving it a really good home. And I mean, you know Will. He will make an excellent father. You could even still see the baby every so often to know that it is happy." Terri said convincingly. Rachel stared straightforward trying to take it all in. She could hardly imagine this little person let alone give them away.

"I don't know… Does Mr. Schuester know about this?" Rachel inquired.

"No! And he can never know. It has to be just between us." Terri emphasized.

Rachel wrinkled her brow in confusion, "Why not? I thought that you were pregnant."

"That is not your concern. Just you cannot tell him. Got it?" Mrs. Schuester's voice developed a panicked edge to it.

"Okay… I will have to think about it." Rachel said bidding her time.

"Alright. In the mean time, take those vitamins and I will be in contact with you." Terri said in an overly cheery voice like she had just asked Rachel for her sugar cookie recipe and not her child. With that, Terri got up and walked out of sight. Rachel's head was reeling with the decisions she had to make. She shook her head and stood up slowly and walked back into school to gather her books from her locker. Rachel made her way through the halls barely noticing her surroundings. She was so deep in thought that she almost passed her locker. So it was not a surprise when the gentle tap on her shoulder startled her.

Rachel whipped around, even more startled to see Quinn standing there, "Quinn!"

"Yeah, I was calling your name." The blonde seemed to be smiling at her. Rachel did not recall hearing Man Hands or Tranny-freak but she had not really been paying attention.

"Well what can I do for you Quinn?" Rachel straightened up to her full height though she was still four inches shorter than the head cheerleader.

"I was just wondering if you were alright. You seemed upset in Glee today." Rachel heard the words that Quinn spoke but could hardly believe them as she could only openly gape at the blonde.

"Why?" Rachel blurted out before she could stop herself.

"Why what?" Quinn cocked her head to the side.

"Why do you care?" Rachel asked, her voice smaller and more timid than she would have liked.

"We are teammates now Rachel." Quinn explained as if it were obvious. Rachel thought her eyes were going to pop out of her head.

"Now what?" Quinn asked seeing Rachel's bewildered expression.

"You called me Rachel." The petite diva said in awe.

"Well it is your name." Quinn laughed lightly, "But seriously Rachel, you have seemed down lately. Is everything alright?"

"Thank you for your concern Quinn but I am no longer a member of Glee. I have decided to devote myself fully to the school musical. I got the lead in Cabaret so I find myself entirely too busy to take on both endeavors." Rachel expertly rambled.

"Oh," Quinn looked mildly upset, "I am sorry to hear that."

"So you don't have to worry about me Quinn." Rachel shut her locker and began to walk away from the blonde but stopped when she felt a warm hand on her shoulder. Rachel turned around curiously toward Quinn.

"The truth is Rachel. I feel really bad for the way I have treated you. After the whole Dakota Stanley incident, I have been seeing things differently. You know, I see people differently. I just want you to know that I will be here for you as a friend if you need me to." Quinn looked down shyly and Rachel noticed a faint blush on her cheeks.

"You want to be my friend?" Rachel thought she might cry. No one had ever offered to be her friend before.

"Yeah, I want to be your friend." Quinn gave Rachel her winning smile that the diva quickly mirrored. The brunette realized her heart was racing again and the butterflies had returned to her stomach as she and Quinn gazed at each other. Quinn snapped out of it first, "Let me drive you home."

Rachel was hesitant. This could be an elaborate trick that ended up with her humiliated and alone. But the blonde seemed to be honest in offering Rachel her friendship and Rachel could really use a friend. And with Quinn standing in there, all of the jumbled thoughts in her head were quieted and she was allowed to feel something other than the overwhelming fear that plagued her. Rachel pushed all of her doubt and reservations aside as she nodded, "Thanks. That would be nice Quinn."

The blonde's smile grew. Quinn lead Rachel out to her red sports car, idly chatting at the unseasonably warm weather and their Spanish homework. The girls fell silent in the car as Quinn drove through town, Rachel occasionally giving her directions. It was not uncomfortable. Rachel actually thought is was pleasant to be in the car with Quinn with her careful driving and Frank Sinatra playing softly from the radio. It was almost over too soon for the shorter girl.

"Thank you for the ride Quinn." Rachel said formally as she gathered up her things.

"No problem." Quinn watched as Rachel climbed out of the car, her skirt barely covering her ass.

"Goodbye then." Rachel stood there awkwardly for a moment.

"Yeah, maybe I could give you a ride tomorrow as well?" Quinn asked.

"Maybe." Rachel said with a smile as she shut the car door and walked up to her porch.

"Maybe." Quinn murmured with a smirk as she observed Rachel's hips sashay into her house. A feeling of triumph came over the blonde. Rachel had not rejected her and in fact seemed to welcome her as a friend. She could see the diva holding back though and Quinn hoped that she would soon earn the trust of Rachel Berry and then maybe, hopefully, earn her heart.


	6. Chapter 6

**Hey thanks for being patient with me. I really appreciate your reviews and am interested in what you think! So don't be shy, let me know ha-ha. I hope everyone is enjoying the story.**

Quinn was determined to get Rachel back into Glee Club. That awful April Rhodes woman was ruining everything and Mr. Schuester was just letting it happen. Admittedly she did have a great voice but nothing compared to Rachel's soaring, expressive vocals in Quinn's ears. And Quinn had seen her teaching Tina and Mercedes how to shop lift, give Kurt alcohol, and she was pretty sure she was showering with the football team. Her behavior was detestable Quinn thought as she huffed down the halls in search of the diva. The brunette had been allowing Quinn to get closer to her. She drove Rachel home almost every day after rehearsal for the musical and her Glee practice And Quinn cherished those ten minutes in the car with Rachel.

It seemed like it was the only time Rachel was actually happy during the day. She talked animatedly about musicals, kittens, and her fathers. But outside of the car, Rachel seemed dulled. Quinn would catch a glimpse of the brunette in the hallway or steal a glance in Spanish class and she would see worry in her sensitive brown eyes, like Rachel was far way thinking of some great burden. Quinn was trying her best to decipher the mystery but the diva was still guarded around her. The best she had been able to figure out was that the musical was beginning to take a toll on her. Sandy Ryerson seemed to be hounding her endlessly as if he wanted to be the lead.

Quinn decided it was time to up her game, which was why she was walking resolutely to Rachel's locker. Her eyes landed on the petite brunette as she rifled around her locker and Quinn immediately felt the butterflies kick in her stomach. Quinn took a deep breath and approached the distracted girl.

"Hey Rachel." Quinn startled the diva as she whipped around suspiciously in Quinn's direction. But upon seeing the blonde she smiled and relaxed.

"Quinn you scared me." She laughed self-depreciatively.

"Sorry about that. You seemed stressed so I thought I would ask how you are... So how are you?" Quinn rested her hand on the locker, leaning on it, as her eye wandered over Rachel in what she hoped was a concerned way, and not a creepy, stalker-ish kind of way.

Rachel looked down shyly, "You are sweet Quinn but I am fine. As you know the musical is rather consuming, just tired is all."

"That is what I wanted to talk to you about. If you needed help running over lines, I will be happy to help you." Quinn offered earnestly.

"Really? There are a lot of words." Rachel said shyly.

"Well great. How about later today during study hall today?" Quinn suggested.

"That sounds nice. Thank you Quinn." Rachel looked up at the blonde cheerleader with her soft, brown eyes her tongue darting out to moisten her lips, making Quinn's stomach do somersaults.

"Great. I will meet you in the choir room." Quinn said as Rachel shut her locker, clutching her books to her chest. The blonde wanted to take the diva's books and walk her to class but it would hard to explain to Rachel why she was doing so without giving up the game so quickly.

"See you there." Rachel said as she departed for class. Quinn fought the urge to jump up and pump her fist in the air with excitement but she managed to keep her cool demeanor. Quinn sighed after her with a large grin plastered on her face though. She turned around to head off to Glee but nearly ran straight into Brittany and Santana.

"Oh, hey guys." Quinn said playing it cool, which is what she does best.

"Hey Q." Brittany chirped innocently.

"What was that?" Santana asked not bothering with greetings.

"What do you mean S?" Quinn inquired, her poker face never faltering.

"I mean what were you doing talking, no not talking, flirting with Berry in the middle of the hallway?" Santana raised her eyebrow knowingly.

"Santana that is the most ridiculous thing-" Quinn began to say.

"Don't give me that. I know that smile that you use to charm the pants off of everyone and I swear I saw Man Hands bat her eyelashes at you." Santana laid out her evidence.

"Don't call her that." Quinn furrowed her brow dropping that act momentarily to defend Rachel.

Santana held up her hands defensively, "Alright calm your self."

Quinn collected her thoughts then looked at her best friends asking hopefully, "You really think that she batted her eyes at me?"

Santana let out a barking laugh, "I rest my case."

"I think it is sweet. You too are like a rainbow, like Santana and me. If we went out together it would be a double rainbow." Brittany said contributed to the conversation. Santana smiled at her adoringly and Quinn chuckled at the bubbly blonde. Even though Santana and Brittany had pretty much secretly been dating since the 8th grade, Quinn never felt like the third wheel. They just continued on being the Unholy Trinity. It was true that Santana and Quinn had their share fights as to who was the head bitch but when it came down to it they looked after each other. Quinn knew that Santana had her back and she would always have Santana's.

"Okay… I might have it really bad for Rachel Berry." Quinn muttered quietly to them.

Brittany clapped her hands excitedly, bouncing on the balls of her feet. Santana rolled her eyes, smirking, "Took you long enough."

"You can't tell anyone though. Not yet. I have not been able to tell Rachel…" Quinn sighed as the reality of the situation set in again.

"Not to mention her Neanderthal boyfriend." Santana reminded her.

Quinn scoffed, "I am less worried about Finn and more worried about the years of emotional damage that I have inflicted on her."

"Oh man up Fabray and get your girl. I saw the way she was looking at you and that girl has shot passed forgiveness and move right on to enamored. I don't know why she even likes you are all the name-calling and slushies but she has managed to see through all your bullshit and appreciate the real you. Maybe Berry is stupid or maybe she is just better than the rest of us. But do not screw this up." Santana suddenly spewed taking Quinn by surprise.

"Wow S… Thank you." Quinn could only stare at the fiery Latina.

"Don't mention it. You are not the only one who can give inspirational speeches." She winked at the blonde and then turned on her heel, marching down the hallway Brittany in tow. Quinn smiled after her friends. They were always there for her when she needed it the most.

* * *

Rachel could barely contain her smile as she walked away from Quinn. The blonde seemed to truly want to be her friend. Rachel tried to desperately to ignore her wildly beating heart and her weak knees when the head cheerleader came around. She attempted to not get her hopes up by convincing herself that the meaningful glances and concern exhibited by Quinn were her attempts to apologize for their rocky past. She was in no state to pursue anything but a platonic relationship with the head cheerleader.

"Hey Rachel. You seem happier today." Finn was suddenly trailing by her side like a lost puppy and her elated mood instantly diminished.

"Finn." Rachel greeted him trying to keep the distain out of her voice. Every since she started to hang out with Quinn she began to realize that Finn did not make a very good friend, let alone a good boyfriend. He opted to play video games and hang out with Puck instead of looking for a job or hanging out with her. Quinn on the other hand had a job at Breadsticks on the weekend, listened when she spoke, and expressed interest in hanging out with her. None of which her boyfriend seemed capable of.

"Why do I feel I like have done something wrong?" Finn asked nervously.

"You have not done anything wrong Finn." Rachel sighed, and then muttered, "You have not done anything."

"Okay good." Finn broke out into a dopey grin, not hearing Rachel's discreet jab. He slung his large arm over her shoulders pulling her closer. Rachel cringed.

"I have got to go to class Finn. I will talk to you later." Rachel said hurrying away from her boyfriend and his touch because she had the sudden urge to cry. She was beginning to realize that she had fallen out of love with Finn. But he was the father of her unborn child, well not really, but that was what he believed.

Rachel thought about the offer Mrs. Schuester had presented her with last week. Could she give her baby to some stranger? She would give her baby to Mr. Schuester. He would make an excellent father but there was something about Terri that did not seem right to her. Rachel pushed the thoughts out of her mind and went to focus on a much easier problem to resolve, Calculus.

* * *

"I am sleeping with him." Rachel said scandalously.

"So am I," Quinn quirked her eyebrow at the line.

"This play is strange." The blonde laughed breaking character.

"That is Mr. Ryerson's favorite line." Rachel giggles with her, "You know you are a good actress Quinn."

"I am no Rachel Berry but I try." Quinn flashed her a winning smile, making Rachel literally swoon.

"You should join the play." Rachel blurted out eager to spend more time with the head Cheerio.

"I think I will stick to cheerleading." Quinn shook her head, "It will be less stressful. It seems Mr. Ryerson is worse than Coach Sylvester."

"It is rather tiring at times." Rachel admitted thinking of their last rehearsal when Sandy told her that she was not going anywhere.

"You should relax. When was the last time you had some fun?" Quinn asked.

"Well last night I had my ballet lessons, then I of course posted an excellent rendition of My Heart Will Go On to MySpace, then me and Daddy baked cookies for orphans. It was so funny. He almost added baking soda instead of baking powder!" This fact made Rachel burst out in giggles that Quinn found most adorable and she had to join her.

"That is great Rachel. But I mean frivolous fun. Something that is not oriented around your goal to get to Broadway?" Quinn corrected her, "You know hang out with friends or something?"

Rachel paused awkwardly, "Well… No one has ever wanted to hang out with me before."

Quinn instantly felt responsible for how lonely Rachel felt and was taken over by guilt. She swallowed the pain and continued, "Well I want to hang out with you."

"You do?" Rachel was shocked. Quinn nodded.

"How about tomorrow you and I go bowling?" Quinn propositioned.

"Bowling?" Rachel asked uncertainly.

"Yeah it will be fun." Quinn smiled encouragingly.

"Well I have never been bowling before…" Rachel admitted.

"You have never been bowling?" Quinn asked incredulously, "Well that is it. I am picking you up at 6 tomorrow and I am teaching you how to bowl."

Rachel laughed, "Alright. I suppose I can have one evening of fun. It is Friday after all."

Suddenly they were interrupted as Mr. Schue, April, and Finn joined them in the choir room. The Spanish teacher put on a false smile, "Rachel, it is nice to see you. What are you doing here?"

"Quinn was helping me rehearse for the play." Rachel looked confused between the three new arrivals.

"That is generous of you Quinn. Do you mind if we take the choir room? We need to teach April the cues for Don't Stop Believing." Mr. Schue said a little too friendly.

"She is in Glee Club. But she is ancient." Rachel looked the questionable blonde up and down.

"Talent doesn't age sweetheart." April winked at the girls.

"But Mr. Schuester, that is Rachel's solo." Quinn said tightly as she glared at their teacher. She had expressly asked him if the choir room was free for this purpose but here he was with his curly mop and dimples flaunting Rachel's solo in her face. This was so typical of him.

"Rachel is not in Glee Club anymore." Mr. Schuester shrugged.

"But-" Quinn started to protest again.

"It is alright Quinn. Good luck rehearsing." Rachel interrupted her as she quickly gathered her things avoiding eye contact with everyone.

"Oh Rachel, we all look forward to seeing you in the play. Save us seats in the front." Mr. Schue smiled after her but Rachel barely acknowledged his words. Quinn was left standing there, trying to find something that would make her stay. Instead the short diva escaped the room and disappeared down the hallway. Quinn turned to the three other occupants in the room. Finn just watched on confused and April looked smug as she started warming up with some scales. The blonde sent them her best head bitch in charge glare before she stormed out of the room herself.

* * *

"Do I have to put my fingers in the holes?" Rachel asked horrified, "Couldn't there be diseases in there?"

Quinn laughed, "Yes you have to. Sharing balls is half of the fun."

Rachel continued to look skeptical. Quinn picked up one of the balls, smiling sweetly, "Here. Here is a pink one. Pink is your favorite color, right?"

Rachel's knees buckled as Quinn offered her the ball. She took the heavy object from Quinn and turned to avoid that dazzling smile. "Okay now what?"

Rachel could feel Quinn close behind her. Her warm breath tickled the back of her neck and she felt the blonde's hand graze her hip.

"Roll the ball down the middle of the lane and try to knock the pins down." Quinn instructed. Rachel nodded and looked determinedly down at the white pins, as if daring them not to fall over. She went to toss the ball however it was much heavier than she had anticipated and it simply fell from her hands and promptly rolled into the gutter. Rachel cringed at her dismal attempt, looking up at Quinn embarrassed.

"Are you sure you have not done this before?" Quinn teased, making Rachel laugh.

"Here watch me." Quinn advised as she picked up a red ball and squared herself with the lane. Rachel watched as Quinn took at few steps forward, and with perfect form, rolled the ball down the middle of the lane. The red projectile hit the pins and they all fell down.

"Wow Quinn, you are really good." Rachel said astounded, "How did you learn to bowl?"

"My father used to take me and my sister bowling when we were young. I think he secretly always wanted sons so he would take us to baseball games and taught us to throw a football." Quinn shrugged.

"Quinn Fabray can throw a football? Well, aren't you full of surprises." Rachel giggled.

"You don't know the half of it." Quinn smirked, "Come on. It is your turn again."

Rachel went again and managed to get the bowling ball half way down the lane before it fell into the gutter. And so it went. Quinn hitting almost all of the pins while Rachel squealed in delight when she knocked one down. Both girls were having a lot of fun. Rachel felt herself becoming more enamored with Quinn with each passing minute. They were on their last frame when Quinn insisted that she could not bowl anymore until she had pizza in her stomach.

"One vegetarian pizza please." Quinn ordered from the gawky teenager that Rachel was pretty sure was in her English class.

"Quinn, I think that boy goes to McKinley." Rachel whispered.

"So?" Quinn whispered back mockingly.

"So he will see you hanging out with me." Rachel reminded her.

"So?" Quinn said again with a smile.

"You… don't care? You are not ashamed to be seen with me?" Rachel asked taken aback.

"No, why would I be ashamed of you? You are my friend." Quinn looked down hurt.

"I am sorry Quinn. I did not mean to offend you. I am just so low on the social ladder and you… Well you are perfect. It is just… normally Finn makes me wait in the car when we go somewhere." Rachel apologized and explained herself. There were many Fridays with the brunette waiting in the car while Finn picked up a pizza, a pepperoni pizza no less. Finn could not seem to grasp the concept that she did not eat meat.

"Rachel Berry you are nothing to be ashamed of! Finn is a giant idiot. Ugh, I could kill him most of the time. Do not let him make you think you are not worthy. He is lucky to have a girl like you. I would be proud to take you out if you were my girlfriend." Quinn ranted.

"If I were your girlfriend?" Rachel felt herself blush with pleasure at the idea. Quinn instantly blushed as well as she realized what she had said.

"Vegetarian pizza." The boy interrupted them as their order came out, making both girls drop the topic.

"Thank you." Quinn took the pizza and hastily paid for it before Rachel could even reach for her purse.

"How much do I owe you?" Rachel asked digging for her wallet.

"Forget it. I asked you to hang out. It is my treat." Quinn waved her off.

"But you already paid for my shoes and-" Rachel began to protest.

"Rach, just sit down and enjoy the pizza." Quinn laughed, trying to change the subject. The diva reluctantly complied as she sat down and grabbed her own slice. She took a bite and was surprised to find the bowling alley pizza was very good.

"This is delicious." Rachel hummed happily.

"Yeah? I hear they import the green peppers from Michigan." Quinn said before she could realize how lame she sounded. Rachel fortunately seemed not to notice as she continued to enjoy her pizza.

"You know. Everyone misses you in Glee." Quinn told her gently. Rachel got a hopefully look in her eye before it quickly vanished.

"No, they miss my talent." Rachel shook her head.

"No, they miss you." Quinn insisted.

"No, they tolerate me." Rachel scoffed.

"Well I miss you." Quinn said honestly. Rachel felt a large smile slip onto her face that Quinn mirrored.

"Come on." Quinn pulled Rachel to her feet, " You have one more turn. Now same as the last time… except better."

Rachel picked up her pink ball and gave it a light kiss. She released the ball, praying it stayed centered as it slowly made its way down the lane. Much to her surprise the ball stayed on course, colliding with the pins, and knocking them all down. Rachel jumped up and down in excitement.

"I did it!" Rachel squeaked as she threw her arms around Quinn. The blonde was quick to return the celebratory hug as Rachel felt warm arms wrap around her waist.

"Good job Rach." Quinn beamed. Rachel pulled back slightly to look at Quinn only to realize how close the head cheerleader's face was to hers. The diva found herself staring at Quinn's red lips and desperately wanting to kiss them. The tension was thick around them but neither dared to move, with their lips anxiously hovering inches apart.

"Come back to Glee Club." Quinn suddenly broke the silence.

"But the musical…" Rachel tried to argue but was completely distracted by the beautiful blonde in front of her.

"I don't care about the musical. I miss you Rachel. I just care about us spending more time together." Quinn told her bluntly.

"Okay. I'll quit the musical. I will join Glee again." Rachel said desperate to please Quinn because there in the arms of her once enemy she felt like a normal teenager, not Rachel Berry the loser or Rachel Berry the soon to be mother.

* * *

The next day Quinn sat in the choir room with the rest of the Glee kids waiting for Rachel to arrive. Last night had almost been perfect. Quinn thought that they had a really good time together, she had convinced Rachel to come back to Glee, and she had almost kissed the diva. Quinn thought she was going to when Rachel had hugged her but she had chickened out. The feeling of have the petite brunette in her arms was enough for now.

"Have you guys noticed Rachel behaving strangely recently?" Mercedes asked. Quinn perked up and listened. Of course she had noticed, she noticed everything about Rachel but she was surprised the others had managed to see something was wrong seeing as they put all of their effort into ignoring Rachel.

"She does seem to be rather down recently." Kurt observed.

"Y-y-yeah and she was doing Linda Blair impersonations in the bathroom this morning." Tina stuttered. Quinn leaned forward. Rachel was sick?

"Maybe she is bulimic." Mercedes suggested. No, Quinn instantly thought. Rachel was much too concerned about her health and vocal chords to resort to throwing up her meals.

"Are you guys really that naive?" Puck spoke up. All eyes went to the resident bad ass, "I bet you thought that Burt and Ernie were just friends too."

"Get to the point Puckerman." Kurt said as he was becoming bored.

"Maybe she has a bun in the oven." He said like he was speaking to toddlers. Quinn's stomach dropped. It made sense. Her moods, the morning sickness, and the pint-sized diva had eaten at least half of the pizza last night. But why would she have not told her? Quinn thought they had become friends.

"Rachel? Pregnant?" Artie said in disbelief.

"Who would be the baby daddy?" Mercedes asked.

"Who do you think?" Puck said as if it were obvious, "Finn."

Quinn felt her chances of winning Rachel over slowly slipping from her fingers. If Finn was the father of Rachel's unborn baby, then there was little chance that she would leave him. Everyone was mulling over this new information when Rachel made her appearance.

"That is right fellow Glee clubbers, you have heard correctly. I am rejoining Glee." She said grandly. The teammates could only manage to just stare at Rachel.

"What? Do I have something on my face?" Rachel tried to joke. Quinn stood but and approached the brunette.

"Rachel… Are you pregnant?" Quinn asked her softly, trying to keep the hurt out of her voice. Rachel gasped as if she had been struck. Quinn could instantly see the truth in Rachel's eyes. She was pregnant.

"I- I am sorry. I have to-" Tears were springing into Rachel's eyes as she stumbled out of the room, leaving a broke-hearted Quinn.

Rachel found herself blindly running away from the choir room and Quinn's hurt hazel eyes. Rachel needed to gain control as she tried to sallow her tears. She found Coach Sylvester rifling through a random locker and she zeroed in.

* * *

"Mrs. Sylvester, if I am to continue the play so drastic changes need to be made." Rachel said sharply.

"Barbara you are absolutely right. When I found out that Sandy wanted to write himself into the play as Queen Cleopatra at first I was aroused then nauseated. I hear by give you complete creative control. Congratulations kiddo. You now have everything you could ever want." Sue said, patting Rachel on the shoulder as she walked away. Rachel smiled at her small victory. She had power, she had the lead, she did not have any friends… Rachel felt her good feeling slipping. Oh god, she had morning sickness. The brunette booked it to the nearest bathroom where she made it to the toilet just in time. Rachel could not help but cry as her stomach was emptied of its contents. She was alone again. Suddenly Rachel felt warm hands pulling her hair back. Rachel jumped trying to turn and see who it was but she felt another wave of nauseous.

"Sh, it will be alright." Rachel recognized Quinn's soothing voice as she felt a hand gently rub her back. Quinn murmured comforting words until Rachel's sickness passed. She then got a damp paper towel dabbing the diva's hot, tear-stained cheeks and letting Rachel wipe her mouth.

"Thank you Quinn." Rachel said hoarsely. Quinn sat next to her on the bathroom floor.

"Why didn't you tell me Rach?" Quinn asked getting straight to the point.

"Telling people made it real. I just wanted people, especially you, to look at me normally." Rachel sighed, "I am sorry I hurt you."

"I want to be here for you Rachel. You should still come back to Glee." Quinn looked at her concerned.

"How can I face them Quinn?" Rachel asked in despair.

"They are your friends believe it or not. You will need Glee Club to support you through this. Do you think that Mr. Ryerson is going to let his star be 7 months pregnant?" Quinn asked delicately.

"Quinn, I can't." Rachel could not look her in the eyes.

"Think about it Rach. And when you are ready, come talk to me about it." Quinn said as she pulled the diva into a hug. Then the head cheerleader left Rachel alone with her thoughts. Rachel left the stall and washed her face. She was drying off when April Rhodes made an appearance in the bathroom.

"What is the matter pussycat?" April asked seeing the brunette was upset.

"Just paying the price of being a star." Rachel said coolly.

"I know all about that." April slurred, "Speaking of, I could use a pick me up. Do you have any cough syrup?"

Rachel shook her head confused. April shrugged, "Oh well. I tell you these high school boys are getting cuter and cuter. That Finn Hudson is one fine hunk of man meat. I sure like to get into those extra long jeans."

"Finn is my boyfriend!" Rachel nearly shrieked.

"Some guys like a little something on the side." April said as she applied more eyeliner. Rachel gaped at her for a moment before unleashing her anger.

"April, I think your presence at this school is deplorable. You can gone on ruining your life but don't ruin other peoples." Rachel snapped.

"I see what this is." April's eyes narrowed in on Rachel, "You want your spotlight back. Tough luck sister because now that I am a star again, I ain't never letting it go." April gloated before she left the bathroom, leaving Rachel more upset than ever.

* * *

The Glee club had just finished their first public performance and it had gone over perfectly. Well, almost perfectly. It should have been Rachel leading the way and not the boozed up April Rhodes. It did not sit right with Quinn to not have Rachel there but the rest of the teams excitement was contagious as the blonde managed to smile and laugh with the rest of them.

"You guys were great out there." Mr. Schuester congratulated them as her came into the choir room.

"We were a hit!" Artie said pumping his fist in the air.

"Mr. Schuester you were right about April. She is a star." Kurt commended him.

"Where is April? She needs to get ready for the next number." Mercedes asked.

Mr. Schuester deflated slightly as he addressed the group, "April is gone. She was great out there. But I was wrong. She was a bad influence on the group and I lost sight of what was important."

"But Mr. Schue, how are were going to go on without her?" Mike asked.

"We will just have to tell the audience that we have to cancel the rest of the show." The choir director said regretfully. Everyone felt disappointment fall over the group.

"I have a suggestion." Quinn's eyes shot to the door where Rachel was standing. She walked further into the room and continued, " On Broadway, they have understudies so when the performer cannot go on, they take their place. I- I could go on for April."

"Since when were you an understudy?" Mercedes asked snottily.

"Since I quit the play." Rachel said, earnestly continuing, "I know all the words to the song and I can fit into the costume."

"Why did you quit the play?" Tina questioned.

"I realized being a star did not make me feel as special as being your friend." Rachel said though her eyes were only on Quinn.

"You don't know the choreography." Kurt reminded her and the diva deflated.

"Then we will have to give her a lot of help out there." Quinn said as she smiled at the brunette warmly. Rachel smiled back and mouthed thank you.

"Alright everyone we have a show to do." Mr. Schuester clapped his hands together and the Glee Clubbers became a flurry of activity as they prepared themselves and Rachel.

Quinn wanted to talk to the girl but there was no time as they were rushed out on stage. They took their places as the curtain rose. It felt different this time as if everyone knew that this was the winning team, this was how it was supposed to be. Quinn felt the excitement in the air. Finn started the song, "Can…"

Then everyone backed him up, "Anybody find me somebody to… love?'

Rachel's voice came soaring in, making Quinn's hair stand on end, "Oh, oh, oh, oh, Each morning I get up, I die a little. Can barely stand on my feet."

"Take a look in the mirror, and cry. Lord, what you're doing to me." Finn came in as he sang to Rachel. Quinn tried to keep on her stage smile as she watched the leading man sing to his leading lady, as Finn sang to the mother of his baby. The head cheerleader felt her odds of winning over the diva quickly diminishing.

"I have spent all my years in believing you, but I just can't get no relief, Lord!" Rachel came in on cue. Quinn's heart clenched as she sang to Finn. Why could Rachel not see that Finn was just a dead end? He could not get them out of Lima. Hell, he could not even tell his lefts from his rights. Quinn would take them places not matter the cost. But then Rachel did not even know that she was an option. The blonde needs to gather her courage and let her know that she had other choices than Finn. Artie and Rachel were singing together now as they danced around the stage in perfect coordination.

"Can anybody find me… somebody to love?" Rachel's voice broke out of the group as her voice thrilled its audience. It was easy to see that the petite brunette captivated everyone in the auditorium.

"Everyday- I try and I try and I try-" Artie expertly sang from his wheel chair.

"But everyone wants to put me down. They say I'm going crazy." Rachel was really putting her emotion into it now, trying to rid herself of all the bad feelings, all of the stares, and the slushies. Quinn could here the edge of desperation in her voice. This was what made Rachel the best performer. She took all she had and left it out on the stage. It took more than a perfect voice; it took emotion, which Rachel had in spades.

"I'm ok, I'm alright, ain't gonna face no defeat." Rachel crooned proudly. Quinn smiled wider at how resilient the brunette could be. Finn joined in, "I just gotta get out of this prison cell. Someday I'm gonna be free, Lord!"

Rachel and Finn back away from each other dramatically, hands outstretched as if reaching for each other. However, instead of Rachel looking at Finn, her eyes fell on Quinn who was behind the tall teenager. In that moment, Quinn realized Rachel was singing to her. She was asking Quinn to the one to pull her out of this mess. The blonde gave an almost unperceivable nod to Rachel as the song continued. They came to the crescendo as they all sang their hearts out. Then Mercedes took over singing soulfully, "Somebody to love!"

The group sang in harmony breaking down the song together and really feeling the music. The song ended as Rachel's voice soared over the rest, "Find me, somebody to love!"

Quinn body hummed with the performance they just gave. It had been perfect. Rachel had been perfect. Quinn looked at the diva who was taking a bow with Finn and she promised herself she would be somebody to Rachel.

**Let me know what you think! Again, sorry for the delay. I really want to work on this story but I am really busy right now. I will try to increase the frequency of the updates though.**


	7. Chapter 7

"All in favor of practicing?" Mercedes called for a vote. Rachel raised her hand high looking around at the rest of the Glee girls who were all interested too interested in their own activities to even look up. Tina was texting on her cell phone. Mercedes was filing her nails while Brittany and Santana stretched and flirted. Quinn was missing in action. Rachel pouted. She could really use the head cheerleader's support right now.

"All in favor of winging it?" Mercedes glanced up. Rachel lowed her hand while everyone else's shot up into the air.

"Looks like the ayes have it." Mercedes said in a pretend sweet voice. The diva huffed and jammed her hands into the pocket of her pink vest. Dejectedly she left the choir room, wondering slightly why she had quit the play to begin with.

"Rachel!" the brunette heard her name being called down the hallway and she turned to see Quinn jogging to catch up with her, "Hey sorry I am late. Coach Sylvester was making help with the new Cheerios practice schedule. What is up? Did I miss rehearsal completely?"

Rachel could see Quinn become confused as she realized that Rachel was wandering the halls alone. Rachel shook her head, "No Quinn you did not miss rehearsal. There was no rehearsal. The others have voted to 'wing it'."

Quinn furrowed her eyebrows, "Why would they do that?"

"Because they think that the boys are no competition and we will win hands down." Rachel scoffed, "I know that Finn has been particularly useless recently but that does not mean we should not put our best foot forward."

"Well, I will practice with you." Quinn offered.

"What is the point?" Rachel sighed. Quinn looked surprised.

"Since when does Rachel Berry give up?" The blonde asked.

"Since when does Quinn Fabray talk to Rachel Berry let alone give her pep talks?" Rachel threw back at her but regretted it instantly once she saw the wounded look on Quinn's face.

"I deserved that." Quinn acknowledged.

"No you didn't." Rachel said apologetically, "You have been nothing but nice to me and I snapped. I am sorry."

"Rachel, I was a complete bitch to you since the first grade. I think you deserve to snap at me every once in a while." Quinn laughed off her apology.

"Perhaps… But I want that to be water under the bridge for us. I certainly do not condone your actions of the past. But my fathers taught me to forgive everyone and I do not want you to feel like you have to be constantly apologizing or making it up to me. I just want us to start with a clean slate, you know? Build our friendship without all of those bad feelings." Rachel rambled.

"Alright, alright, you win." Quinn smiled widely though Rachel could still see the guilt haunting her hazel eyes.

"How about we go to your house and you can tell me about your idea? And maybe work out some choreography together." Quinn suggested.

"Well I did make a power point and I story boarded the choreography last night. I would really like your input." Rachel smiled in agreement.

"Great, meet me by my car." Quinn went off to her locker and Rachel to hers.

* * *

Quinn was nervous. She had never been inside Rachel's house before. She had enjoyed the large white house with blue shutters and tidy garden beds from the outside but had never been invited inside before. Rachel did not seem to notice as she wheeled her backpack toward the front porch while Quinn followed behind. Once they got to the steps Quinn jumped to help the diva.

"Here let me." Quinn lifted the pink monstrosity up the two stairs so Rachel would not have to. The diva laughed, "Thank you Quinn but I am only pregnant, not invalid."

Quinn blushed but laughed as well. She had not even thought of Rachel's current state as a factor in helping her. Actually they had not even talked about Rachel pregnancy since that day in the bathroom. It was almost easy to forget that Rachel was pregnant, especially while her stomach was still flat under her animal sweaters and high-waist skirts. Quinn had determined to patiently wait for Rachel to approach her about the subject. The shorter girl would come to her when she was ready.

The brunette let herself and Quinn into the house. The cheerleader liked the house even more on the inside. Everything was neat and orderly but still felt warm unlike the sterile feeling of her childhood home. Pictures of Rachel through the ages adorned the walls.

"You have a beautiful home." Quinn told Rachel sincerely as she looked around. The diva slipped her shoes off and Quinn followed suit. Rachel left her school things in the foyer and walked them through the living room.

"Thank you." Rachel said elated, "My fathers have worked hard on it."

"Where are your dads?" Quinn asked curiously. She would love to meet the people who raised the petite brunette but at the same time she was afraid. Would they know that she was the one who tortured Rachel since elementary school? Would they hate her for it?

"Papa has board meetings until late tonight and Dad is in Dayton today working with a client so he will not be home until late. It is just us." Rachel explained.

"Oh, what do your fathers do?" Quinn asked drinking in everything that was Rachel Berry, elated that she got to spend some alone time with the girl.

"Papa is a pediatrician and Daddy is an interior designer. Do you want an after-school snack?" Rachel led the blonde into the kitchen.

"I am fine. Water would be good though." Quinn said. The brunette was the perfect hostess as she had Quinn sit at the breakfast bar to serve her the water. Rachel went to the fridge and pulled herself out an apple. Quinn watched Rachel's mouth as she bit into the red fruit. The blonde could barely take her eyes off of the brunette's full lips. Quinn thought about kissing her and tasting the sweet juices that still lingered there…

"We can do it down here if you want." Rachel pulled Quinn back down to earth. The blonde realized she had not been listening.

"Do what?" Quinn stammered as her thoughts dove further into the gutter as she thought about taking Rachel up against the island. The blonde scolded herself instantly. She should not be thinking of Rachel like that. She was pregnant for God's sake.

"The rehearsal," Rachel giggled unsure of Quinn's reaction, "My computer is in my room but there is one down here in the den too."

"Oh right, upstairs in fine." Quinn said as she stood. She did not want to miss the opportunity of seeing Rachel Berry's bedroom. The brunette led them up the steps and through a door with a gold star on it. Of course Quinn thought with a chuckle. The room was surprisingly tame as far as Rachel was concerned. The walls were light yellow, though Broadway posters were artfully tacked up. She did have a ridiculously enormous bed complete with canopy and white, fluffy comforter and her boom box had been attacked with rhinestones.

"It is fit for a princess in here." Quinn said teasingly as she surveyed her surroundings.

"Thank you." Rachel seemed to smirk as she sat at her desk. Quinn stood behind her while Rachel took off with an explanation of her idea, "Well my I decided to mash-up Halo and Walking on Sunshine…"

Quinn desperately tried to keep up with Rachel's fast pace ranting. It got easier once Rachel pulled out the choreography. Quinn had been groomed to be a cheerleader since she learned to walk. Learning dance moves she could handle. Rachel drilled them tirelessly, asking Quinn for her opinion and ways to improve. Time flew as they perfected the performance, Rachel singing along once in awhile. When Rachel sang, Quinn would inevitably make a mistake as she became enthralled with the tiny star. But finally they could do it with no flaws, Rachel singing and all.

"Wow it is 5:30." Rachel notice the time as she collapsed on her bed slightly out of breath, "I am starving."

"Me too." Quinn said realizing for the first time her stomach was growling as she joined Rachel.

"Would you like to stay for dinner?" Rachel asked hopefully.

"I would love to." Quinn agreed immediately. The two girls went down to the kitchen to find something to eat.

"What are you hungry for?" Rachel asked as she began to rummage through cabinets.

"Whatever you come up with is fine." Quinn leaned against the island, trying to subtly check out Rachel's backside as she strained to reach something on a high shelf.

"Let me." Quinn walked over to where Rachel was struggling. She unnecessarily brushed herself against the brunette as she easily grabbed the box Rachel wanted.

"Thanks." Rachel blushed.

"No problem." Quinn grinned at her.

"I get being short from my Papa. If I could just be a few inches taller…" Rachel said wistfully.

"Being short is not all bad. You would be a good flyer for the Cheerios." Quinn said thoughtfully referring to the girls thrown into the air in Sue Sylvester's sometime impossible routines. With the proper training, Rachel could really succeed as a cheerleader.

"The day I am a Cheerio is the day hell freezes over." Rachel laughed. Quinn joined her but does not think the idea sounds that far fetched. She especially would not mind seeing the brunette in that curve-hugging uniform complete with a sinfully short skirt and loaded sexual fantasies.

"So how does pasta sound for tonight?" Rachel asked.

"Sounds good. I love Italian." Quinn agreed as the diva pulled out a pot. The friends prepared the meal together. Rachel was surprisingly at home in the kitchen as she easily prepared the pasta, garlic bread, fruit bowl, and even whipped up a batch of chocolate chip cookies for dessert. Quinn managed to crudely assemble a salad. They ate together in the kitchenette talking quietly about their days. Quinn imagined this is what they could be like together. They would have their own house, their own kitchenette, their own dish sets. The blonde pretended like should could lean over and kiss the brunette if she wanted to.

"Thanks for rehearsing with me Quinn. I needed a friend tonight." Rachel said suddenly ripping Quinn from her fantasy, reminding the cheerleader she was just a friend. She did not get to kiss Rachel at the end of the day, Finn did. Her stomach sunk in a painful way.

"My pleasure… Where is Finn tonight?" Quinn asked causally. Rachel shrugged.

"At home maybe. I just needed a break, you know. Did you every need a break from Finn?" Rachel asked worried.

"Yeah, a permanent one." Quinn joked.

Rachel sighed, "I am just finding him… lacking in the relationship department. All he wants to do is play video games, hang out with Puck, or sleep. I mean I am pregnant. Shouldn't he be doing something? How am I going to pay for the hospital bills?"

Rachel suddenly became panicked as the weight of the situation crashed down on her. Tears were quickly forming in her eyes and her breathing became irregular. Quinn was quick to cross the table and be at Rachel's side. She hugged the petite brunette, gently stroking her hair.

"Hey, sh, sh," Quinn hushed her trying to soothe Rachel, "It will be alright."

"I am just so scared. I have not even been able to tell my parents." Rachel whimpered into Quinn's neck.

"I can't imagine how you feel. But I want you to know I will always be here for you to talk to, or for a shoulder to cry on… or a hospital bill to be paid." Quinn wanted desperately to take care of Rachel.

"Quinn I couldn't!" Rachel pulled back slightly to look the blonde in the eyes, "I could not ask you to pay my hospital bills."

"Rachel, there is nothing I would not do for you." Quinn confessed, not caring how it sounded.

"Thank you Quinn. That means a lot to me." Rachel looked at the cheerleader in awe.

"Have you… have you thought about what you are going to do after the baby is born?" Quinn asked cautiously.

"I don't know. How am I supposed to take care of a baby? And Finn is not ready…" Rachel shook her head, "Though Mrs. Schuester she approached me about adopting the baby."

"Why would Mrs. Schuester want to adopt your baby? Isn't she pregnant?" Quinn asked.

"Apparently not. It seems like she cannot tell Mr. Schuester. I could live with that you know. Mr. Schuester would make an excellent father. I could give them my baby. I know they would grow up in a home with music and they would be loved." Rachel said thoughtfully as she considered her options.

"Well maybe you could ask Mrs. Schuester to foot the bills. I mean it will be her baby." Quinn suggested. Rachel nodded but continued.

"As much as I would give Mr. Schue my baby something does not sit right with me about his wife. She seems… off." Rachel scrunched her eyebrows in concern.

"Have you told her yes?" Quinn asked.

"Not in so many words but I think she is expecting me to give her the baby." Rachel had not said yes but she had not no either.

"Try not to commit to anything. You have other options." Quinn told her hoping that the brunette would catch on the Finn was not her only choice and she had better suited alternatives.

"Options like what? I feel pretty trapped." Rachel rested her head on Quinn's shoulder.

"You could give the baby away to another couple, like a nice lesbian couple, kind of like how your fathers got you. Or… Rach, have you considered… terminating the pregnancy?" Quinn was Catholic but she would accept it if Rachel could not carry out having this baby. At the mention of abortion though Quinn felt the diva's body stiffen.

"Have I considered it? Yes. Could I do it? No. Even the thought of giving the baby up makes me want to cry. I am two and a half months pregnant and I already love it so much. How can I love someone I have not met?" Rachel wondered.

"I don't know Rachel." Quinn murmured but she understood Rachel. She was not even pregnant but she knew that she would love the baby growing inside the brunette. She knew because the baby was a part of Rachel and she loved all of Rachel. "You could keep the baby with…"

Quinn trailed off. She wanted to say you could keep the baby with me but could not quite make it there.

"Finn could not support me or the baby." Rachel disagreed.

"You do not have to keep the baby with Finn." Quinn corrected. Rachel lifted her head up to look into Quinn's eyes. The girls suddenly became aware that Rachel was still resting comfortably in Quinn's arms. The blonde did not relent her adoring gaze on the petite diva. The air around them suddenly became charged as Quinn's eyes dropped to stare at Rachel's full lips. If she could just lean forward and…

"Rachel! We are home!" Quinn heard a male voice shout from the foyer, followed by the front door closing. Quinn jumped up and blushed.

"Daddy, Papa, we are in the kitchen." Rachel called out as her own cheeks flushed.

"We?" Quinn over heard the whispered question as Rachel's fathers joined them. One of her fathers was a tall, imposing black man while the other was shorter, very white, and very Jewish.

"We did not know you were having company tonight Rachel." The taller one said looking the blonde up and down.

"It was a spur of the moment decision." Rachel stood up with Quinn to introduce them, "Quinn these are my fathers Hiram and Leroy."

"Quinn? As in Quinn Fabray?" Leroy asked surprised.

The head cheerleader nodded, obviously they had heard of her, "Nice to meet you sirs."

"Rachel have you been crying?" Hiram suddenly spoke up as he eyed Quinn suspiciously.

Rachel immediately tried to wipe her eyes of any evidence of her break down, "I-"

The brunette could not get anymore of her excuse out before the shorter Berry man interrupted her, "Now see here, you maybe able to harass my daughter in school but I will not stand for it in my own home. Do you know how heart breaking it see your daughter come crying home every day since the 6th grade?"

"Papa! It is not like that! Quinn was helping me. I- I was having some relationship problems with Finn and she was just being a friend and comforting me." Rachel was quick to jump to the head cheerleader's defense while Quinn felt her heart sinking with each word. It pained her to know that she had caused such turmoil in the short brunette's life.

"I am sorry. I should go…" Quinn hung her head in shame.

"Quinn no…" Rachel turned to the blonde, her eyebrows knitting with worry.

"Quinn we are sorry to have assumed the worst. Of course you are welcome in our home." Leroy said trying to smooth over the situation.

"Thank you for your hospitality but I should be going anyways. I need to finish up my homework." Quinn declined while smiling at Rachel reassuringly. She noted that Hiram did not look very apologetic for his out burst.

"Alright." Rachel pouted but led Quinn to the front door.

"I am sorry about my Papa. He is a little overprotective." Rachel apologized.

"No Rach, I deserved it." Quinn said slipping on her letterman's jacket.

"Quinn…" Rachel sighed.

"I know. I don't have to apologize anymore. I am working on it." Quinn smirked.

Rachel smiled in relief, "And don't let my fathers scare you away. They will come around."

"Well they will have to because I plan on having dinner here again. You cannot keep me away from those chocolate chip cookies." Quinn joked.

Rachel laughed, "Well now I know how to lure you here."

Quinn chuckled as she pulled Rachel into a hug, "Thanks for the lovely evening."

"I… It was my pleasure." Rachel spoke into the blonde's shoulder. Quinn had to force herself to let go. The petite diva felt so right in her arms, it physically hurt to have to pull away from her.

"See you tomorrow." Quinn spoke quietly as she descended the steps of the front porch.

"Tomorrow." Rachel mumbled as she watched Quinn go. Her eyes were glassy with emotion that the blonde could not quite make out. Quinn reluctantly got into her shiny, red car and drove away. The head cheerleader definitely would be back. Wild horses could not drag her away from Rachel.

* * *

Rachel watched sadly as Quinn left. When Quinn had hugged her, she had never wanted it to end. She felt so safe and loved in that hug. The evening had been so perfect with Quinn. Having dinner together and softly talking Rachel felt like a family with Quinn. Rachel knew she had hopelessly developed inappropriate feelings for the blonde that were impossible to ignore at this point. Whenever she came to be in close proximity to the cheerleader, she was the desire to kiss her. Quinn's company was far more comforting than Finn's. Rachel cringed at the thought of her boyfriend. Rachel still had no idea what to do.

Rachel turned and walked back down the hallway into the kitchen, "Papa, I find your treatment of my friend appalling."

Rachel said putting her hands on her hips. Both Berry men furrowed their brows. Her Daddy spoke, "Watch your tone with your father Rachel."

Rachel immediately looked down contrite, "I am sorry Papa. But Quinn had proven to be an excellent friend and I would appreciate it if she could still come over."

Rachel put on her best doe eyes, looking at her fathers imploringly. Both of the men's hearts melted at their daughter. They had never been good at saying no to her. They also knew how lonely she had been growing up with no playmates to come over, not when she was a "freak with two daddies". They wanted more than anything to see their baby girl happy.

"Rachel, Quinn may have proven to you that she has changed but she still needs to prove it to us. We just want to protect you baby girl. And if you want, of course she is allowed to come over." Her Papa told her.

"Thank you Papa!" Rachel bounded over to her father and gave him a big hug. Hiram smiled at his only daughter and watched as she stood on her tiptoes to give Leroy a kiss on the cheek.

"And thank you Daddy. Now please excuse me, I have a schedule to keep." Rachel said as went up the stairs to get ready for bed and record her MySpace video for the evening. The fathers smiled at each other wondering how they were so lucky to have such a kind and forgiving teenage daughter who went to bed at 9:30 with no direction.

* * *

Rachel stood before the Glee girls, glowering at them. They had just watched the boys perform their mash-up. It had been spot on. The choreography was great, the singing was excellent and they had been so… full of energy.

"I don't want to say I told you so." Rachel began.

"So let's move past this." Mercedes interrupted however the diva cut her off quickly.

"But I told you so." Rachel snapped. Her pregnancy hormones were making her crank.

"Alright, so the boys performance was amazing. How were we supposed to know that they had it in them?" Mercedes defended herself. Rachel rolled her eyes. They did not get the point. Had they put forth the effort from the start they would not be in this predicament.

"Listen Quinn and I know the dance now. We will teach it to you tonight." Rachel said just wanting to move passed this.

"H-how are we going to perfect a dance in one night?" Tina asked, "How did the boys do it?"

"I can tell you." Suddenly Kurt appeared looking fabulous.

"What are you doing here Hummel?" Santana asked.

"While I was forced to perform with the boys, my allegiance is still with the girls. My creative suggestions to do our hair in cornrows and incorporate exotic bird feathers were ignored or determined to costly." Kurt said dramatically. Rachel rolled her eyes.

"Get to the point Kurt." Quinn sighed.

"Pseudoephedrine tablets. We got them from the new school nurse." Kurt revealed how the boys achieved their energized affect. Rachel's brow darkened.

"Excuse me. I am going to go kill Finn Hudson." Rachel marched out of the room. It did not take her long, storming through the halls of the small high school, to find her boyfriend.

"Cheater!" She called out after him.

"Hey Rachel." He said with a goofy smile, "What are you talking about?"

"You used drugs to enhance your performance!" Rachel accused him.

"Whoa, I do not take steroids. It shrinks your junk." Finn said aghast.

"Finn I know you took pills that gave you all of that all of this energy." She gestured to Finn's person, as he was full of life, compared to the zombie he had become in the previous week.

"Rachel you are just afraid that you are going to lose. You just cannot keep up." Finn said smugly as he left his girlfriend alone. Rachel glared at the tall boy as he walked away. There was no way she would be out done by Finn. Thinking quickly, she went back to the choir room and collected the other girls, dragging them down to the school nurse. By the time Terri Schuester had them all standing in line, Rachel was losing her bravado.

"Are you sure this is safe?" Rachel asked concerned.

"Of course it is sweetie. It is over the counter. Except for you. You get folic acid. It is good for the baby." Terri whispered the last part, winking at her. The diva looked over at Quinn who was eyeing the pills suspiciously.

"We are not cheating, right?" Rachel looked up at her.

"No, no, we are just… leveling the playing field." Quinn tried to reassure her though she could tell that the blonde did not really believe it and neither did she. She nodded anyways and looked down the line at everyone debating whether this was a good idea or not.

"Well bottoms up." Mrs. Schuester said cheerfully and everyone cautiously swallowed.

* * *

Quinn nervously shifted from side to side as she waited with her back to their audience. The last 24 hours had been a blur as the girls prepared for their performance. Rachel and Quinn taught everyone the dance moves that they had decided on and Rachel taught Mercedes some singing cues. They scrounged together some costumes of yellow dresses and Rachel even found time to write a speech out for the judges.

Quinn had to hide her smile as Rachel rapidly delivered the speech. Though the diva had not taken any of the stimulants, she knew that Rachel was running on little sleep combined with excitement and nerves it was a rather humorous outcome. Though all of this stress could not be good for the baby. Quinn decided she would ensure that the brunette got caught up on her sleep.

"Okay…" Mr. Schuester said as Mrs. Pilsbury started the timer indicating for them to start. Rachel scurried to take her place as the music began.

"Oh…" Rachel's voice hummed, "Remember those walls I built, well baby they're tumbling down. They didn't even put a fight. They didn't even make a sound."

Quinn focused on dancing even though her muscle memory was most likely perfect at this point. But she did not want to get distracted by Rachel and her adorable enthusiasm. The head cheerleader looked down affectionately at Rachel as her hands made a mock halo for the diva, if Rachel only knew how much Quinn thought of her as an angel.

"I used to think maybe you loved me now baby I'm sure," Rachel sang from her seat on the ground, her hand traveling up her perfect leg, "And I just cant wait till the day when you knock on my door."

"I'm walking on sunshine, whoa!" Quinn joined in with the other girls as the energy kept building. Mercedes and Rachel took turns hitting high notes until finally the end of the song when Rachel took over.

"I can see your halo. HALO!" the brunette's voice perfect hit the high A giving every one in the room chills. If there was any doubt in Quinn's mind that they were not going to win, they completely vanished as soon as Rachel hit that note. Everyone was panting lightly from the exertion as the boys applauded them.

"Wow!" Mr. Schuester stood up giving them high fives. "Our judge is going to have a tough decision to make."

The girls celebrated as they bound out of the room in excitement. Quinn laughed when she saw Rachel surprise Mr. Schue with a hug.

* * *

"Cheater." Finn said as he approached his girlfriend in the hall.

"We were not cheating. We were leveling the playing field." Rachel glowered at her boyfriend as she defended herself with Quinn's words.

"I am just kidding Rachel." Finn tried to calm her as he slipped his arm around her shoulder and continued to walk with her.

"Your performance was really good. How do you feel about it?" Finn asked.

Rachel sighed, "Honestly, lousy. I don't feel like I accomplished anything."

While she had been performing, Rachel had felt really good. But the feeling had been temporary. As soon as she had come down from the high of singing, she could not shake the feeling that she had not fairly participated in the competition. Her moral compass was too strong. Rachel glanced up at Finn, "What about you?"

"Same. It is not the same having taken those pills." Finn agreed. Rachel had a small surge of pride for the quarterback. Perhaps he was not a total lost cause. "What should we do about it?"

"We have to forfeit both of our teams from the competition." Rachel said obviously.

"Alright." Finn smiled his dopey smile as though he did not have a care in the world, "Walk you to class?"

"Thanks but I have to go do some research. I will see you later." Rachel allowed him to peck her on the cheek as she began to walk in the opposite direction, hoping Finn did not realize she was not heading in the correct way to the library. Rachel did not actually have research to do. Instead she walked toward the nurse's office with a specific intent in mind. The diva saw Mrs. Schuester sitting at the desk pretending to be busy.

"Mrs. Schuester?" she knocked softly.

"Rachel, come sit. What is it?" Terri asked in her normal perky manner.

"Mrs. Schuester… I am not ready to have a baby…" Rachel struggled to find the right words but fortunately Mrs. Schue jumped in.

"You are making the right decision." The older woman gave her one of her scary, manipulative smiles.

"Right," Rachel tried to shake away the bad feeling. "And I wanted to thank you for those vitamins you gave me. That was really helpful."

Terri nodded as if she were the most generous person that ever existed as Rachel continued, "And I was thinking, I am going to have a lot of hospital bills soon, and since it is going to be your baby… I was thinking maybe you could help me out?"

"I don't think so sweetie." Terri replied.

"But is going to be your baby." Rachel was taken aback.

"Yes and I will be paying for it for the next 18 years. I think you can handle 9 months. Besides we would not want anyone to get suspicious would we?" Terri said sweetly though it oddly sounded like a threat to Rachel. "You understand?"

Rachel nodded mutely as she stood and walked out of the office, desperately want to get away from Terri. Fear crept into her mind as everything became uncertain again. Could she give her baby to this woman? Could she give away her baby at all? Tears pricked Rachel's eyes as her emotions and lack of sleep overwhelmed her.

"I've got you," A honey voice soothed in her ear as a strong arm wrapped around her waist. Rachel immediately relaxed into Quinn's touch as she brought her arms up around the blonde's shoulders, burying her face into her neck.

"She will not pay." Rachel whimpered.

Quinn began to stroke her back, "We will figure something out."

"Thank you Quinn." Rachel's voice cracked. She would be lost without the head cheerleader.

"Let's get you home to rest." Quinn suggested as she began to lead Rachel to an exit. The diva did not even her energy to protest leaving school early, as she was too exhausted to care about finishing the school day. All she could think of was how wonderful it was to be in the arms of Quinn Fabray.

**Hey thanks for reading. Let me know what you think! Constructive criticism is always welcome :)**


	8. Chapter 8

"Santana." Sue called as she began to form her "elite" Glee Club. Quinn felt her stomach clench nervously as she realized what the abrasive woman was up to. Since the pseudoephedrine debacle last week, Principal Figgins appointed the Cheerio's coach as co-director so that she may watch over the wayward group. Early Quinn had let it slip that the minority students had been feeling ignored, which was true. Mr. Schuester did not do a good job of listening to any of the students. The head cheerleader had told Sue in hopes that Mr. Schue would realize how narrowed minded he was being. Of course, she should have known that Coach Sylvester would twist it around so that it divided the club. And any leader knew that together we stand, divided we fall.

"Hot wheels." Sue recruited Artie, "Gay kid, Asian, Other Asian, Beyonce, and Shaft. You are with me."

"Now wait just a minute Sue." Will tried to interfere as he quickly caught on to Sue's tactics.

"No William, these students are special. I think it is appalling that their voices have not been heard and I for one will not discriminate." Sue challenged him.

Before Will could say something Santana spoke up, "And that is how Sue sees it."

She held up her hand in the shape of a 'C', tilting her head sweetly to the side. Quinn smirked at her best friend. She understood why the Latina was siding with Sue. She wanted a chance to shine like everyone else in the club. Defeated Mr. Schuester sighed, shaking his head with disapproval.

After Glee club was dismissed Quinn stuck around waiting for Rachel to pack up her inordinate amount of sheet music.

"Here let me help," Quinn offered as she began to pick up some of Rachel's things.

"Thank you Quinn. How generous." Rachel smiled gratefully as the two girls began to slowly exit the choir room.

"No problem." Quinn said.

"This is a pretty low trick, even for Coach Sylvester." Rachel observed as they walked to her locker.

"I would say." Quinn agreed as she thought badly of her misled coach.

"I wonder how she knew Mr. Schuester has not been listening to us." Rachel said thoughtfully. Quinn cringed.

"Well… I may have let it slip that he might have been neglecting our requests." Quinn admitted unable to lie to her crush.

"Quinn you didn't!" Rachel gasped.

"It was an accident… for the most part. I did not mean for her to take it this far." Quinn tried to explain.

"I should have known you were still one of her little spies." Rachel glowered.

"I am not her little spy!" Quinn snapped offended.

"Quinn every word you whisper into that woman's ear, weakens the Glee Club. We are already fragile Quinn. You may not like Glee Club but it means a lot to me." Rachel raised her voice angrily.

"Don't assume to know me Rachel. You have no idea what I like and don't like." Quinn barked.

"Well, I might know more about you if you let down that cold, hard ice queen act you have going on." Rachel countered.

"Well, at least I am not a spoiled, diva who does not know who to share the spotlight." Quinn dug into her old reserve to insult the petite girl. Hurt flashed in Rachel's eyes, but she quickly covered it up with a scowl that rivaled Quinn's.

"I see. I must be going Quinn. I have an ultrasound that Finn is taking me to. I don't too be late." Rachel said flippantly as she grabbed her stuff from Quinn and diva-stormed off. Quinn glared at her receding form until she disappeared.

"Damn it." Quinn growled as she spun around slamming her fist into a near by locker. She hissed in pain and shook her hurt hand. How the hell did that happen?

* * *

"Could you be careful of my sweater? My Nana knitted it for me." Rachel worried over her kitten pullover as the doctor applied gel to her still flat stomach. She was still very upset over the fight she had with Quinn; however, she could only handle one stressful situation at a time.

"Sure." The obstetrician said dryly, "Here we go."

The doctor began to move the tool around Rachel's abdomen. An image appeared on the monitor and a low pulse entered the room. The doctor began to explain the sonogram, "Here is the head. And that is the heartbeat."

Rachel stared at the sonogram in awe as she heard her baby's heart beat. Her eyes welled with tears as she looked at the little life growing inside of her. As she looked at the tiny wonder, she suddenly wished that Quinn were here to share this with her.

"Whoa." Finn interrupted her thoughts as he watched the screen with the same rapture as Rachel. Instantly she felt guilty. This was not Finn's baby, this was not his burden and here she was dragging him along because she was afraid he would leave her and now she was not even sure she wanted to be with him.

"Have you considered what you are going to do with the baby?" Dr. Chin asked as she obviously judged the two teenagers.

"We are looking into adoption." Rachel said as she panicked at the idea of raising the baby with Finn.

"That is a smart move. This little girl will make some family very happy." The doctor nodded in approval. Rachel might have been offended at the doctor's assumption she would have made a poor parent but she stopped listening after little girl. The baby was a girl, a daughter, her daughter.

"Thanks for taking us Mr. Schue. Rachel has not been able to tell her fathers and my mom would freak." Finn told the Spanish teacher as they waited for Rachel to come out.

"It is not a problem Finn. Though I strongly encourage you to tell your parents." He lectured.

"I think this is something I want to handle on my own for a while." Finn said determined to keep the pregnancy a secret for Rachel's sake. The men fell into silence until Finn spoke again, "It is a girl. The doctor says she is health, has a strong heart beat."

"Wow Finn, Congratulations." Mr. Schuester smiled for the obviously proud boy. While Finn might not be the brightest crayon in the box, he had a strong sense of family. He knew that Rachel did not want to have the baby that she would rather get out of this cow town but Finn did not care. He had plenty of time to convince Rachel that they would be great parents. Even though he was scared out of his wits, he thought that this family deserved a shot.

* * *

The next day Rachel was walking from Glee practice thinking about the song she was singing with Finn. Mr. Schue had obviously picked "No Air" to appease the younger generation. It had actually been fun, though she felt Quinn watching her sadly the whole time. The blonde and brunette had not spoken since their argument yesterday and Rachel readily admitted to herself that she missed her… friend already. With the Cheerio sending her apologetic glances and glaring at Finn, Rachel hoped she was ready to forgive her. She had thought about it last night and realized that she had been hasty in jumping to conclusions. She almost reached her locker when Jacob Ben Israel slinked into her path, "Hello buttercup."

He greeted her making Rachel recoil disgusted, "What do you want Jacob?"

"Just a moment of your time my sweet." He looked her up and down making the brunette feel dirty.

"For the last time Jacob, no means no." She scowled at the persistent boy.

"Oh, I think you will want to hear this. Word through the grape vine is you are in trouble." The gossipmonger told her.

She turned sharply and narrowed her eyes at him, "What does that mean?"

"I hear that you have a bun in the oven." He dished making Rachel gasp.

"Who told you?" she demanded angrily making him back up in fear.

"A- a good report never reveals his sources." He said evasively.

"What do you want Jacob?" Rachel asked again shortly.

"I want a kiss." He said mustering up his courage.

"No way." Rachel said instantly repulsed.

"A kiss or I will spread the story all over the blog-sphere." He threatened. Before she could respond Rachel heard, "How about you don't run the story or you will not have dry underwear for the remainder of your time at McKinley?"

Quinn Fabray sounded pissed and Jacob knew he had upset the queen as he stuttered, "Q-Quinn, how lovely to see you."

"Listen here Jew-fro, if one word about this gets out I will personally make sure you get slushied for what is left of your miserable high school career. And then after that your children will still be getting slushied. Got that loser?" she stood tall over Jacob, intimidating him.

"Affirmative." The cowardly boy shook his head vigorously.

"Now I would be leaving if I were you." Quinn menaced. Jacob stumbled over himself to get away from the two girls. Quinn smirked at her handy work before turning to Rachel who was looking shyly at her feet.

"Thank you Quinn." Rachel said softly.

"Don't sweat it. What are friends for?" Quinn asked with a hopeful tone. Rachel nearly burst into tears as she practically jumped on top of Quinn, surprising the blonde with a hug.

"Oh Quinn, I am so sorry about yesterday. I overreacted about the whole thing. I know you would never intentionally sabotage Glee club." Rachel rambled into Quinn's shoulder, "You know I tend to be a bit over dramatic."

"Rach, it is alright." Quinn soothed, "I am sorry for snapping at you. I know that I am not always emotionally available. But I am willing to try and work on it."

"Quinn you have been so nice to me. That is all I can ask for." Rachel shook her head in disagreement, "You hold me hair back when I get morning sickness for goodness sake."

"Let's put it behind us, okay?" Quinn said as Rachel pulled slightly out of the hug.

"Okay." Rachel nodded. Suddenly Rachel found herself in close proximity to the blonde's lips. Why am I looking at her lips? Why do I want to kiss her lips? This is phenomenally bad Rachel thought. I cannot fall in love with the person that could possibly be my best friend who incidentally was once my rival who dated my boyfriend who I am having a baby with though it is not actually his baby, it is his best friends baby. Rachel had to stop thinking before her head exploded or she started to cry.

"Do you want to see my sonogram?" Rachel blurted out the first thing that popped into her head.

Quinn looked oddly surprised at the question but quickly recovered as she smiled excitedly, "That would be great."

Rachel smiled and nodded as she bent down to rifle through her pink, rolling backpack. She pulled out a picture that was mostly swirling back but Rachel pointed out a white blob, "That is the baby. She is the size of a strawberry. Or so the doctor says."

"Wow." Quinn looked enthralled at the piece of paper, "This is amazing Rachel."

"Yeah, you can see her head and the curve of the spine here." Rachel watched as Quinn traced her eyes along the form of her baby. It was like watching Finn stare at the monitor but different. With Quinn she welcomed the adoration but when Finn was there it only made her fearful.

"The baby is a girl." Quinn said as more of a statement and less of a question. Rachel realized she had been using feminine pronouns and nodded.

"She is going to be beautiful Rach." Quinn handed back the sonogram.

"How can you tell?" The brunette laughed. As of right now, her daughter probably resembled a sea monkey.

"Because you are her mother." Quinn said shyly.

"Thank you." Rachel blushed happily as she tucked the photo away back into her bag. Quinn Fabray had practically called her beautiful.

"Well would you like a ride home today?" Quinn asked.

"No, my dad is picking me up. And don't you have double Cheerios practice on Wednesdays?" Rachel asked. She was becoming well acquainted with the head cheerleader's schedule.

"Normally yes but Coach cancelled it." Quinn said.

"Is the world ending?" Rachel laughed in surprise.

"Close," Quinn chuckled, "Mr. Schue failed all of the Cheerios except for me, Santana, and Brit in Spanish class so they are all academically ineligible to compete."

"I bet Coach Sylvester is on a rampage." Rachel's eyes widened with shock.

"Yeah, I think he is holding them for ransom until Coach gets rid of the 'Sue's Kids'." Quinn sighed, "Honestly those two are worse than children."

"I would say." Rachel concurred, "Why didn't he fail you three?"

Quinn grinned, "We were the only ones with passing grades. Santana speaks Spanish fluently and not all blondes are ditzy."

"Brittney?" Rachel questioned skeptically.

"Okay well Brittney just copies all of San's answers." Quinn admitted with a laugh and Rachel joined in.

"You know, I miss everyone being together." Rachel said wistfully.

"Me too." Quinn exhaled.

"Too bad we don't meet outside of school." Rachel said. She never had a friendship that extended outside the walls of McKinley, until Quinn that was. She was on debate team with Artie and ate lunch with Tina but she had never been invited over to watch a movie or sleepover.

"Well why can't we?" Quinn perked up as if struck by an idea.

"What?" Rachel was confused.

"Meet tomorrow in the choir room an hour before Glee starts." Quinn smiled deviously.

"Alright but why Quinn." Rachel asked.

"Trust me." Quinn said, "I will see you tomorrow."

* * *

Finn turned around in his seat to face Rachel. They were taking a test in Spanish, or he was supposed to be taking a test. Instead Finn had decided to devote the class period to coming up with baby names.

"Hey Rachel." He whispered.

"What Finn? We are supposed to be taking a test." Rachel looked around nervously as if she would get accused of cheating.

"I was thinking about baby names and I came up with the perfect name." Finn said proudly. He showed Rachel a sheet of paper with the word 'Drizzle' clumsily written on it.

"Drizzle?" Rachel said incredulously.

"Yeah." Finn nodded eagerly, "You know like when it is still raining but it is light enough that you do not need and umbrella when you are outside."

"We are not naming the baby Drizzle." Rachel scoffed then reminded him, "We are not naming the baby anything."

What is wrong with Drizzle?" Finn looked hurt.

"I am not even going to answer that question." Rachel said trying to ignore him and get back to her test.

"Finn, eyes on your own paper." Mr. Schuester warned from the front of the classroom. The boy nodded and went back to taking his test though he did not understand a word of it.

Rachel got out of Spanish class and completely ignored her boyfriend and his puppy-dog eyes that followed her. She was angry. How could Finn be so insensitive? He was talking like they could keep the baby when there was no feasible way it could happen. The diva was glad that she was on her way to the choir room to meet Quinn. She could use cheering up and the blonde had an uncanny ability to do so.

Rachel stormed her way to the choir room and nearly flung open the door, ready to get her frustration out when she stopped short. A huge smile began to creep onto her face, "What is everyone doing here?"

Not only was Quinn standing at the piano but also Kurt, Mercedes, Artie, Tina, and the rest of Sue's Kids along with the regular Glee Club. Artie wheeled forward, "We are here for a little jam session."

"Yeah, Quinn c-came up with the idea since we do s-see each other much anymore." Tina stuttered.

"Inspired idea Quinn." Rachel smiled gratefully at the blonde.

"Well let's get this party started." Mercedes hollered and everyone laughed. Finn hopped onto the drums and started a beat as they began to dance and sing. It was fun to have everything so fast and loose. Mike taught everyone some goofy dance moves and no one cared about what part they sang. They were together laughing and having a good time for the first time. There was no competition or division between the groups.

"Hey, must be the money!" the group finally finished singing 'Nelly's Ride With Me' with a burst of giggles.

"Woo that was awesome!" Mercedes crowed, "But we should get going."

"Yeah," Kurt agreed, "If Coach Sylvester sees us hanging out she will murder us."

"Well we miss you guys." Rachel said sadly as Sue's Kids got up to leave.

"Yeah Glee is not the same without everyone." Artie said as Tina pushed his wheelchair toward the exit.

Everyone was saying their goodbyes when Mr. Schue walked in for rehearsal, "Hey you guys. What are you doing here?"

"We are headed to practice with Coach Sylvester." Mercedes said as the group passed by the Spanish teacher.

"Well it was great to see everyone." Mr. Schuester told his departing students before turning to the remaining students to start their rehearsal.

* * *

After Glee club, Quinn offered Rachel a ride home, which the brunette gratefully accepted. The head Cheerio was almost to Rachel's locker she heard tense voices. She knew instantly one was Rachel's and as she peaked around the corner she saw the other was Puck. She knew it was wrong to ease drop but the blonde could not help herself.

"Noah, the answer is going to remain no." Rachel said firmly.

"You think that Finn can support the baby? He does not even have a job." Puck scoffed.

"And you can support the baby?" Rachel asked incredulously.

"I have my pool cleaning business." Puck proudly stated.

"Yeah, and how much money do you have left after buying Mario Kart and num-chuck?" Rachel asked coolly.

"I will figure out a way to provide for this family." Puck said determined.

"Puck that night with you… It was a mistake. I was drunk." Rachel sighed sadly as she rubbed her temples.

"But it is my baby." Puck demanded that Rachel recognize that fact. Quinn nearly gasped at this. Quinn knew that Rachel was upset about the pregnancy but hiding the true paternity of the father was probably killing the diva.

"Yes Puck she is yours but Finn is my boyfriend." Rachel reminded him.

"She? The baby is a girl?" Puck asked excitedly.

"Yes." Rachel admitted.

"Cool." Puck smiled broadly.

"That does not change anything though. I am still with Finn. We are still giving the baby up." Rachel tried to bark angrily.

"I should have a say in this too!" Puck said tersely as he was becoming angry. Rachel looked like she was about to cry from frustration. Quinn decided now would be a good time to interrupt. She was hurt that Rachel had not confided in her this rather scandalous information but she pushed her feelings aside for the tiny diva, choosing to trust that Rachel would come to her when she was ready. She rounded the corner confidently calling out to Rachel, "Hey are you ready to go?"

She stopped short as if surprised to see Puck there. She looked over them as if assessing the situation. She narrowed her eyes angrily at Puck, which was easy considering she was angry with the resident bad boy for putting Rachel in this situation, "You okay Rach?"

"I am fine. Puck was just asking about the math homework." Rachel quickly tried to wipe the mist out of her eyes, "Let's go."

The brunette presented her was a big fake smile that almost made Quinn cringe. Quinn tried to smile back, "Great."

"I did not get a chance to thank you Quinn for arrange the pre-Glee club meeting. That was very sweet of you." Rachel said as she brushed passed Puck

"Don't mention it." Quinn said lightly though she sent one more glare at Puck as Rachel joined her. How did things get this bad Quinn wondered.

* * *

Things had gone from bad to worse. Glee club was quickly disintegrating around them. Mr. Schuester had invited Sue's Kids to the auditorium so that they could perform for each other. The Glee Club was up first, well, Rachel, Finn, and herself were up first. Puck and Brittany had jumped ship and joined Sue's Kids because Puck was Jewish and Brittany was Dutch even though she was not sure that was true. In actually, the reasons they left was most likely because Brittany missed Santana and Puck was as tired of watch Finn and Rachel sing to each other as she was. Quinn had started to watch Puck more closely since she found out he was the father. His eyes always seemed trained on Rachel as if asking her to look back at him. He was in love with her too, which Quinn could understand completely.

Unfortunately they had not gotten far into their performance before Sue stood up interrupting Rachel after the first note. She told her group they were leaving because she would not subject them to such awful music. Mr. Schuester had enough of Sue's antics and jumped into their defense. Now the two teachers were yelling at each other like crazy people as the students watched helpless. Quinn finally exploded, "Enough!"

All eyes in the auditorium turned to her in surprise, "If I wanted to hear mommy and daddy fight, I would have stayed home."

"I agree. Glee Club is supposed to be fun," Mercedes chimed in, "And furthermore I don't like this minority business. I may be a strong, black woman. But I am a lot more than that. I am out."

"Me too." Tina said strongly.

"I want to be recognized for my talent, not for being in a wheelchair." Artie concurred as Tina pushed his chair.

"I agree whole-heartedly and it would be an honor to show you how a real storm-out is done. I encourage you follow my lead." Rachel turned on her heel and stomped off the stage while everyone walked out after her. Quinn caught up with Rachel, "Excellent storm-out. You really stuck the landing."

Quinn teased fortunately making Rachel smile, "Well I have been practicing since I was three."

"Well it has paid off." Quinn laughed.

"Yes, well maybe now we can get back on track and be a team again." Rachel sighed.

"Let's hope." Quinn nodded.

"That was awfully brave of you back there, you know, standing up to your coach like that." Rachel observed.

"You looked upset. I just wanted it to stop." Quinn confessed. Rachel looked surprised.

"You did it for me?" She asked.

"Yeah… I would do anything for you." Quinn said quietly. The head cheerleader let down her defenses and allowed her self to look adoringly at the diva. Confusion swirled in Rachel soft, brown eyes.

"Quinn I-" Rachel began to say.

"Hey Rachel. Do you still want to go get French fries?" Finn unknowingly barged into their intimate conversation.

"I- what?" Rachel looked torn as she looked between the blonde and her boyfriend.

"French fries. You said you were craving them earlier." Finn said.

"Yes right. I will be there in a minute." Rachel said sending the boy off. She turned back to Quinn, "The pregnancy is making me crave weird things. I- I should go."

"I understand." Quinn looked down sadly.

"I will see you tomorrow." Rachel slowly began to walk away and if Quinn had looked up she would have seen the brunette appeared as if she did not want to leave at all.

* * *

The next day in Glee Coach Sylvester announced that she would be stepping down from her position as co-director much to everyone's relief. Though of course this action could not go unaccompanied by one of Mr. Schuester's inspirational speeches Rachel thought ruefully.

"Coach Sylvester was right to shine on the fact that you kids are minorities, Mr. Schuester spoke to them, "because you are all minorities. You are in the Glee Club. Now there are only 12 of you and all you have is each other. So it does not matter if Puck is Jewish."

"Shalom." He said as he held his fist in the air.

"Or that Finn…" The choir director struggled for a moment.

"Can't tell my left from my rights." Finn smiled sheepishly making everyone giggle.

"Or that Santana is Latina or that Rachel is-" Mr. Schue was interrupted before he could finish.

"Pregnant." Sue supplied. The room fell silent. Everyone was tense with what would happen next. Rachel felt as though she received a punch in the stomach. How did the Cheerio's coach find out? And even scarier what would she do with the information?

"Sorry tiny dancer but it will be all over the internet by tomorrow. Now everyone knows." The older woman stood leaving the room in shock. Rachel felt all eyes turn onto her in sympathy. This would ruin her reputation. The brunette diva could not stop herself from breaking down and crying in front of everyone. Suddenly she was startled by the sound of a chair clattering onto the ground. She looked up and found a chair knocked over where Quinn once was and a flash of a blonde pony tail as she flew out of the class room

Quinn was out for blood, specifically Jacob's. She knew he was normally still here so that he could creep on Rachel after Glee practice. So she was not surprised when she found him alone in the hallways. She bore down on him as the boy cowered, "Don't kill me."

"Give me a reason not too?" Quinn snarled, "Do you know how much pain you caused by running that story?"

"Sue made me do it!" he exclaimed.

"Explain. Now!" she barked.

_Jacob was sitting in Coach Sylvester's office petrified as she peered at him over her glasses, "I found this particularly interesting find from today's round of locker checks."_

_She pushed forward a picture of a sonogram that he had stolen from Rachel's locker, photocopied, and then returned the original without the diva knowing. Sue continued, "Did you knock up one of your Internet groupies and now you two are having a cyber-baby? So tell me, who is the mother?"_

"_Rachel Berry." He looked down ashamed. Sue looked stunned for a second._

"_No way. She is too smart to get pregnant least of all by you." She denied his claim._

"_It is true. I have three sources confirming it. Finn is the father. I just stole this. I kept it as collateral because I was going to run a story on it but Quinn threatened me not too. Rachel is pregnant." He confirmed. The teacher fell silent as she looked at the boy thoughtfully, "Please don't expel me. I will kill the story."_

"_No." Sue said sharply, "Run it."_

"Why would Sue want you to run the story?" Quinn asked suspiciously.

"I think by ruining Rachel's reputation it is further ruining Glee club." Jacob looked relieved, as Quinn's anger seemed to be dissipating towards him, "I am sorry Quinn. Can I be excused?"

She nodded slightly and Jacob took off. Quinn went slowly went back to Glee practice so they could finish the day.

Rehearsal ended up in the auditorium. So they could perfect the number they had been working on which could not work out more perfectly for Quinn to convey her feelings for Rachel. The blonde and the brunette stood facing each other as the song began.

"Your not alone, together we stand. I'll be by your side, you know I'll take your hand." Quinn sang sweetly to the brunette who was still clearly upset.

Then Finn's part came in, "And when it gets cold and it feels like the end, with no place to go, you know I won't give in."

Then singing together, "No I won't give in."

The rest of Glee joined in, "Keep holding on, cause you know we will make it through, make it through. Just stay strong, cause you know I'm here for you, here for you."

"There is nothing you can say, nothing you can do. There is no other way when it comes to the truth. So keep holding on." Quinn sang as Finn danced with the love of her life. It stung but right now she was worried about the brunette and she would be there for her until the end.

"Here me when I say, when I say, I believe. Nothings going to change, nothings going to change destiny. Whatever is meant to be will work out perfectly. Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah!" Quinn hoped that Rachel could hear that she truly meant those words even as they dance about the stage.

"Keep holding on." As they sang the end of the song Quinn found Rachel's hand with her own. Cradling the small, soft hand she sang, "We'll make it through, make it through."

With tears pricking her eyes Rachel rushed off stage, having already been embarrassed enough for today by crying in front of her teammates earlier. She made it off stage before her first cries escaped her lips. Quinn had sung so sweetly, it felt as though the words had been directed towards her. The petite brunette suddenly could not hold her weight. She felt herself slipping but then arms were holding her up, "It will be okay."

Rachel turned to bury her face into Quinn's long, blonde hair. She was so relieved that it was the Cheerio that had followed her and not her hulking boyfriend. Quinn repeated herself, "It will be okay."

Rachel nodded against her, "Tell me again."

Quinn rubbed soothing circles on her back while Rachel clung to her like a lifeline, "It will be okay. It will be okay."

Hearing Quinn whisper those words to her, Rachel could believe it would be.

**Yeah Update! Haha, let me know what you think. I know it is taking a long time for them to get together... But try to bear with me and my writing. Things should be moving faster hopefully? I think I am going to start condensing the episodes so that I can move along faster.**


	9. Chapter 9

Finn was walking with Rachel to class when it happened. She saw it coming. David Karofsky was walking down the hallway with a big slushie in his hand and menacing the other Glee members with the frozen beverage. Rachel seemed to be last in line and David's favorite target so she froze, slamming her eyes shut to keep the corn syrup out as she braced herself for the icy blast and cold drip of humiliation that accompanied a slushie facial. However the impact never came.

"What the hell Karofsky?" Finn shouted. Rachel's eyes fell open and she saw Finn shoving the hockey player into the lockers, grape slushie dribbling down his face.

"Oh I have been wanting to do that since grade school when you made fun of me for growing pubes." The brutish boy laughed, "And now that you have joined the Lollipop Glide and insperminated the Queen Geek, and dropped below us on the food chain, it is open season."

Finn looked ready to punch him but Rachel jumped in, "Forget about it Finn. David and the rest of his Neanderthal teammates are nothing."

"You will pay for this." Finn pushed him again but Karofsky just laughed.

"No I won't." He scoffed as he walked away from the couple, leaving them astounded.

"Come on Finn. Let's get to Glee." The petite brunette pulled a towel out of her bag that she carried for just such occasions. She led Finn to the choir room to find everyone already there. She ignored their shocked stares and sat down the hulking quarterback to help him get the chunks of ice out of his hair.

"The Slushie Wars have begun." Rachel heard Kurt mutter to Mercedes.

"Yeah and if Finn is not safe then we are screwed." Mercedes whispered back. Rachel worried her lip between her teeth. They were right. She knew that dating Finn would not instantly popular or like but she had at least hoped for some amnesty from the slushies. However the cruel attacks kept coming and Finn seemed to not feel inclined to do anything about it.

"Alright guys we have a lot of ground to cover before Sectionals thanks to our Sue Sylvester detour so let's get started." Mr. Schue call the group to order as he walked into the room, "But you guys really seemed to enjoy doing mash-ups and I want to keep you fired up."

"Plus there is a great lesson to be learned with mash-ups." The choir director lectured, "Sometimes things seem so different that they could not possible go together. But the big difference between them is what makes them great. Like… chocolate and bacon."

"Or football and Glee." Finn said sourly.

"Exactly." Mr. Schuester said not catching on to Finn's tone. Rachel just looked up from cleaning Finn's face at their somewhat clueless teacher and shook her head.

"So here is my personal favorite song." Mr. Schue said as he began to pass out music, "And your homework assignment is to find an unexpected song to go with it."

"Bust A Move?" Kurt asked dubiously.

"This song is old school." Mercedes laughed.

"Alright, Artie follow along on bass." Mr. Schue said ignoring his students, "And Finn take us through it."

"Sorry, Mr. Schue I have corn syrup in my eye." Finn complained, as Rachel had to fight the urge to roll her eyes. Finn gets slushie facial once and he is incapacitated. Rachel had been getting weekly slushies since she was a freshman and yet still managed to execute flawless performances in Glee.

"How about it Puck?" Mr. Schue asked the badass.

"I don't know Mr. Schue. I don't really groove on young MC." He shook his head.

Rachel stepped in annoyed, "I am shocked at the lack of leading man ambition in this room right now."

She especially glared at Finn who withered under her gaze.

"That is alright Rachel." Mr. Schue said as he began to unbutton his dress shirt, "I guess I will have to show these boys how it is done."

Rachel laughed as their teacher dove right into the song, "Bust it."

The diva quickly joined the rest of her classmates as they danced and Mr. Schuester showed off some impressive breaking dancing skills. It was moments like these that Rachel was grateful for, when she could just feel like a regular teenager who was a part of something great. As the club let loose, Rachel's eyes met Quinn's and they shared a smile. Giggling bubbled from the brunette and the head cheerleader spun her around playfully. Rachel could feel herself slipping for the blonde a bit more every day.

Mr. Schuester finished the song and the Glee clubbers broke out into applause and laughter. Mr. Schue joined in, "Great hustle you guys. Now who wants to go next?"

After Glee, Rachel ditched Finn and went to the music section in the library. Normally she would catch a ride home with Quinn right after school but today the head cheerleader had to help Coach Sylvester polish the trophies or some nonsense. Quinn said it was punishment for allowing the Glee club to remain intact. Rachel smiled at the sacrifice that the blonde was making in order for the musical group to succeed. Rachel wanted to help clean the trophies but Quinn refused saying that the chemicals would be back for the baby. So Rachel at least resolved to wait for Quinn after school so that she could treat her to dinner. She was so busy rifling through sheet music and thinking of Quinn that she did not notice her company.

"Hey." Puck approached Rachel startling her.

"Noah!" Rachel jumped, "What are you doing here?"

"Rachel I just want you to give me a chance." He said, "Let me prove that I can support you."

"For the last time, I am with Finn." Rachel said flatly and went about ignoring him.

"Wait, here." Puck grabbed her wrist and presented her with a wad of cash.

"What is this Noah?" she sighed.

"It is the money I have left over from my pool cleaning business. That is $112. I know that Mario Kart and nunchucks will not help raise the baby so from now on everything I earn will go towards her." Puck said earnestly. Rachel was taken aback by the care that Noah was displaying. Finn had yet to offer her a cent in regards to the baby.

"Noah… That is sweet but… keep your money. Finn is going to get a job to help pay for the hospital bills." Rachel said. It took all of her effort to refuse the money that she desperately needed.

"God Rachel, what can I do to prove it to you that I am capable?" Puck asked frustrated.

"You will not even do a solo in Glee. I have yet to see any leading man potential. How can you handle an admittedly high maintenance girl like me and a baby?" Rachel asked before she managed to slip away, leaving him with his gears turning.

Quinn was very excited for Glee practice today. She had something planned for Rachel. After seeing Mr. Schuester show ups the boys yesterday, it gave her the brilliant idea of singing a song to Rachel. She knew how important music was to the petite brunette and what better way to win her heart than to serenade her. Everyone was already seated when Mr. Schue came into the choir room, "Alright, does anyone have a song to mash up?"

No one said anything. Quinn nervously wiped her sweating palm on her Cheerio's skirt as she worked up the nerve to say something. Mr. Schuester laughed, "Come on. It is like you are asking me to start dancing again."

"No!" A few people laughed as the director began to sway to an unheard beat.

"Nobody?" Mr. Schuester asked encouragingly. Quinn was about to say something when Puck spoke up, "I've been working on something Mr. Schue."

"Well take it away." The Spanish teacher offered Puck the floor.

"This is my tribute to a Jewish icon." The badass said as he looked at Rachel meaningfully. Quinn glowered from her seat as the song started.

"Where it began, I can't begin to knowing, but that I know it's growing strong," Puck sang as he strummed along with his guitar. "Was in the spring, then spring became summer, who'd believed you'd come along."

"Hands," Puck crooned, "Touching hands, reaching out, touching me, touching you."

"Oh Sweet Caroline! Good times never seemed so good. I've been inclined, to believe they never would." Puck sang out as he reached the chorus. People began to join in and sing along with him as they swayed to the music, except for Quinn. The blonde just glared at her newly forming rival. He was clearly singing to Rachel, which seemed to go completely unnoticed by her boyfriend who seemed to be enjoying the song more than the brunette was. Rachel looked down as he sang to her seeming a little uncomfortable but unable to keep the small smile off of her face. Jealousy surged in head cheerleader as thoughts of smashing the guitar over Puck's head filled her mind. When he was done the club enthusiastically applauded him, while Puck wore a smug smile that Quinn was completely prepared to wipe off.

"Great job, Puck." Mr. Schue congratulated him. Unable to contain herself anymore, Quinn's hand shot up in the air and in a very Rachel Berry like manner said, "Mr. Schuester I have been working on something myself."

"That is great Quinn. Let's hear it." The man said surprised. The blonde marched up to Puck and grabbed the guitar out of his hands as she sent him a look that had him running with his tail between his legs. Quinn glanced at Rachel to see her perk up once she took the stage. Sending the diva a winning smile she slung the instrument around her neck she began to play with no preamble. The percussion and bass quickly picked up on the song as she began to sing Van Morrison's song.

"Hey where did we go, days when the rains came, down in the hollow, playing a new game, laughing and a running, hey, hey, skipping and a jumping, in the misty morning fog with you. My brown-eyed girl, you my brown-eyed girl." Quinn did not bother to hide her intentions as she sang directly to Rachel much to the smaller girls surprise. And much to the rest of the clubs surprise, she could see their dubious expressions as the head cheerleader sang to Rachel Berry who was the bottom rung on the social ladder as far as they were concerned. Quinn ignored them as she just focused on Rachel who had a broad grin spreading across her face, "Slipping and sliding, all along the waterfall, with you, my brown-eyed girl. You my brown-eyed girl."

"Do you remember when we used to sing, Sha la la la la la la la la la la te da ." Quinn smiled more as the club members began to forget the circumstance and begin to get into the music as they could not help but sing along.

"So hard to find my way, now that I'm on my own. I saw you just the other day, my how you grow, cast my back there, Lord. Sometimes I'm overcome thinking about it. Making love in the green grass behind the stadium with you." Quinn winked suggestively at Rachel who looked down and blushed as her smile turned shy, "My brown-eyed girl, you my brown-eyed girl."

When Quinn finished the song, she was met with even more wholehearted applause than Puck's ovation, especially from Rachel who seemed to forget that her confused boyfriend was sitting right next to her.

"Wow, Quinn that was fantastic." Mr. Schuester looked very impressed, "You both did a great job."

Now it was Quinn's turn to look haughty as Puck sulked moodily from his seat and everyone cheered for the blonde.

Rachel examined her stomach in her full-length mirror. To the causal observer you could not tell she was pregnant, at three months it was not very apparent. But Rachel began to notice a change in her body. Her stomach muscles seemed to have loosened and pushed forward ever so slightly.

"Rachel, would you like some tea honey?" Her Papa called up to her. Quickly she tugged down her tank top depicting a fluffy bunny on it, as if her father would bust through the door and see her lack of pregnancy.

"No thanks Papa. I am going to do some homework." She shouted back. Rachel sighed. She had not been able to tell her fathers yet and she had limited time before her body would give away the secret all on its own. The petite diva seemed to always be dealing with something else that thwarted her from talking to her parents. Today Finn had quit the Glee Club in order to remain on the football team. Popularity was more important to him than passion it seemed. Even Puck, Matt, and Mike had chosen Glee over football.

What hurt Rachel the most about it was the fact that he had not chosen her. He knew how important Glee was to her and he still chose popularity over her, and for what? So that he would not get a slushie in the face for the rest of his high school career. He had no idea how insensitive he was being. She had not spoken to him since he had not shown up for rehearsal and had even ignored his phone calls and texts. She sat down at her desk to try and focus on her math homework. She had scarcely been able to complete the first problem when she heard a knock on the door.

"Daddy, I really don't want tea." Rachel answered.

"Okay, well, I don't have any tea." Quinn's voice came through the door and Rachel all but ran to open it.

"Quinn what are you doing here?" Rachel asked surprised to find the blonde, still in her Cheerios uniform, outside her bedroom at 8'o clock on Tuesday night.

"I finished with Cheerios practice and I was in the neighborhood…" Quinn explained weakly.

"Don't you live in Lima Heights? That is on the other side of town." Rachel said confused.

"Yes… Well, actually, you seemed upset during rehearsal and I wanted to make sure you were okay." Quinn confessed.

"Thank you Quinn that is sweet but I am fine." Rachel said with a big, lying smile.

"You sure about that?" Quinn pushed.

"No." Rachel admitted as she went to flop down on her bed allowing Quinn to enter her room fully.

"You want to talk about it?" Quinn gingerly sat next to the pouting diva.

"I just… I know it might be selfish of me to want Finn to choose Glee over football. But for once, I just want to be someone's first choice, you know. I am tried of always coming in second." Rachel said her eyes misting over sadly.

"Finn is an idiot. He does not deserve you Rach." Quinn murmured quietly but Rachel still heard.

"You think?" Rachel looked up at the taller girl.

"I know it. I- I would quit the Cheerios for you." Quinn said suddenly proclaimed.

"Really?" Rachel's eyes widened.

"Yes… If you asked me to… as a friend." Quinn said backtracking, as she seemed to realize what she had just said.

"Thank you Quinn. That means more to me than you know." Rachel murmured.

Quinn blushed, "I am here for you Rachel."

The diva felt confusion settle over her as her feelings for Quinn surfaced painfully. She could not ignore these emotions anymore or look past the blonde's behavior towards her. She started slowly, "Quinn… I…"

"Tea girls?" Rachel's father Leroy came in hovering protectively with a tray of hot mugs full of the beverage.

Quinn shot up off of the bed looking between Rachel and her dad, "I really should be going. My mom is expecting me. I will see you tomorrow Rach. Thanks for the tea."

Quinn rattled off quickly as she ducked out of Rachel bedroom and disappeared. Rachel sighed sadly, "Good bye Quinn."

Quinn was wandering around the football field after Cheerios practice when she noticed Puck sitting on the bleachers. He was watching his former teammates practice, scoffing every so often as they frequently fumbled the football sending Coach Ken into a rage. Quinn approached the boy sitting a few rows behind him.

"Do you miss it?" Quinn asked drawing attention to herself. If Puck was startled he did not show it. He just paused a moment before answering.

"Hell no." Puck said confidently.

"So you like Glee better than football?" Quinn asked bluntly. Puck fell silent. Even if he did like singing and dancing more than tackling people into the ground the badass would not admit it. But Quinn had a more likely hunch as to why Puck had chosen Glee Club.

"Is it because of Rachel?" she asked more softly. Puck turned around in surprise to look at the blonde wondering how she could have figured it out. She explained, "I see how you look at her. I see you staring at her during rehearsal while… while I am staring at her too."

Puck looked even more surprised at the admission, "And why would you be staring at Berry?"

"Because Puck, we are more alike than you think." Quinn confessed to him. He raised an eyebrow at her looking for a further explanation. The head cheerleader sighed, "I love her too."

"No way, Quinn Fab-gay?" Puck's eyes widened. She just shrugged and let the information sink into him. "That song you sang, it was to Rachel. Geez, I thought that had just been an over-active imagination and some wishful thinking."

"You cannot tell anyone Puckerman. At least not until I have had the chance to talk to Rachel about it. If this gets out before I want it to, so help me I will unleash Santana on your balls." Quinn threatened. The tough guy flinched.

"You know she is never going to leave Finn. Not with that baby in her belly." He said as if it were a matter of fact.

"We will see about that." Quinn said not so ready to concede defeat.

"You know if she leaves him, I will be right there fighting for her." Puck warned her.

"I know." Quinn understood.

"Well then, may the best man win." Puck smirked.

Quinn simply returned the grin, "We will see about that as well."

After Glee practice Quinn hung behind to allow herself sometime to think. Finn had shown back up at rehearsal with the good news that Coach Takada had lifted the Glee ban and the boys were allowed back on the team. Everyone had been happy to have their 12th member back and Quinn was glad to see that Rachel was still a bit sour towards Finn as she had deflected his kiss to her cheek. It had been painful though to see the lead couple reunited. The sting was somewhat dampened though when they had been able to shower Mr. Schuester in purple slushies and when Rachel had opted to talk to her during a five minute break instead of Finn. She sat at the abandoned piano and gentle pressed the keys, satisfied with the quiet plinking noise it made.

"You play the piano too?" Rachel's voice surprised her as she looked up to see the petite diva smiling at her.

"No." Quinn chuckled, "Just the guitar."

"You are still full of surprises Quinn Fabray." Rachel told her as she took a seat next to the head cheerleader.

"Good surprises?" She inquired.

"The best." Rachel conceded. Silence fell between the two girls.

"Quinn?" Rachel's voice was small and fragile.

"Yes?" Quinn easily slipped a comforting arm around the smaller girl as she became immediately concerned.

"What is going on?" Rachel asked, her big brown eyes looking at her imploringly.

"What do you mean?" Quinn asked nervously even though she knew full well what the diva meant. It is what Rachel would have asked that night had her father not interrupted them and had she not ran away. But there was no running today, not anymore.

"I mean what is going on between us?" Rachel began, "I have these feelings and I am so confused and you are singing to me and showing up at my house… Or I am I just making it all up in my head? Am I living in a fairy tale?"

"You are not making it up Rach." Quinn sighed as her arm fell away from Rachel, "I should have told you sooner but I have not had the nerve to admit it."

"Admit what Quinn?" Rachel's voice shook slightly.

"Rachel I- I have feelings for you." Quinn could hardly believe she had said the words aloud let alone to Rachel Berry. The diva seemed as shocked as she was. The brunette sat there dumbfounded for a moment before she shot off the bench and began pacing around.

"Feelings like romantic feelings?" Rachel asked in confirmation.

"Romantic feelings." Quinn nodded as she carefully registered the smaller girls reaction.

"Why?" Rachel stopped moving, honestly curious about the answer but before Quinn could speak the diva began to rant, "I mean everyone hates me. I am loud, obnoxious, and conceited. I hog the spotlight. I dress like a four year old and my nose is too big. I am pregnant with a baby that is not my boyfriends. I-"

She stopped short realizing what she had said. She looked at Quinn in horror, anticipating a negative response. Quinn remained calm and stood up. She walked over and stood right in front of Rachel, her hazel eyes looking deeply into Rachel's watery brown ones, "Rachel, I don't care whose baby it is. All I care about is you and your baby is a part of you. I will lo- care for you both no matter what."

Quinn stopped herself before she told Rachel that she loved her. This was already a lot to unload on the already burdened diva. She did not want to scare her away before she had a chance. Tears slipped down the brunette's cheek but no sounds escaped her. Quinn had to restrain herself from wiping the tears away. Finally Rachel spoke, though her voice trembled, "Quinn, I… I have a lot to figure out before I can tell you what I feel."

"Oh." Quinn said as disappointment settled into her stomach.

"No please, just… I need to reevaluate my relationship with Finn before I can consider starting another. All I can tell you is that when you are around I feel so… safe, like everything will be all right. I, I don't want you to give up on me yet." Rachel explained herself quickly as if she sensed the distress Quinn had felt. The cheerleader's heart picked up at Rachel's words.

"I will never give up on you Rachel." Quinn said honestly. The petite brunette's breath caught in her throat and her eyes well with tears again. The two girls hovered painfully close yet not touching at all. The air was charged with unresolved tension. Quinn subconsciously leaned forward, she brought her hand up slowly to caress a tanned cheek but it stopped short of its destination when Rachel interrupted the silence.

"I need some time and… maybe some space." Rachel said as if she were forcing the words out. Quinn immediately dropped her hand and nodded.

"I understand." She took a step back just in time for someone to come barging in.

"Oh sorry girls, I did not know anyone was still in here." Mr. Schuester interrupted them. Emma Pilsbury hovered behind him looking like a deer caught in headlights, though she always looked like that.

"We were just leaving." Quinn said a cold mask slipping over her face. Rachel nodded.

"See you tomorrow Mr. Schuester." Rachel hurried out the door but not before calling out behind her, "I will talk to you later Quinn."

The blonde entered the hallway and watched the brunette walk off, "I will be waiting."

Rachel turned her cell phone over in her hand. Her fingers itched to send Quinn a text message or better yet call the blonde cheerleader and hear her voice. But instead she set the device on her nightstand and turned over in her bed. It had been two weeks since she had really talked to Quinn. Rachel saw her at Glee Club of course and in a couple classes. But they only exchanged polite hellos and went about their business. Rachel was realizing that the distance between the two girls was really eating away at her.

During the first week of not talking to Quinn, Rachel had tried to throw herself back into her relationship with Finn only to find that her feelings for the quarterback had diminished more than she had originally thought. Of course Puck was still waiting in the wings, trying to prove himself whenever Finn was not around. Puck made cupcakes for the bake sale that the club was holding in order to earn enough money for a handicapped bus so that Artie could travel with the group to sectionals. He then stole that money to give it to Rachel but she of course declined. He had even picked a fight with his best friend and the two ended up tousling on the ground before the teachers strode in to break it up. All of this was exacerbated by the fact that they had to spend the week in wheelchairs to understand what Artie had to put up with everyday. Rachel discovered that she needed to add strength training to her work out routine. By the end of the week her arms were incredibly sore.

Finn had somehow managed to procure a job at Breadsticks as a bus boy but even this did not make Rachel feel better. The diva had expected to feel relief that her boyfriend could now help out with the baby bills. She thought it would solve her commitment problems with him. Instead, she felt indifference towards his renewed eager and hopeful attitude, which was why the second week she had spent essentially stalking Mr. Schuester.

Her dashing Spanish teacher had thought that Rachel had developed a bit of a crush on him and it did not help that she had rather convincingly sang the mildly inappropriate duet of Endless Love with him. Rachel just happened to be a really good actress though. In actuality, she had really wanted to see where her baby could possibly be growing up, where she would take a bath and go to sleep at night. Mr. Schue had a cozy home and he was a good man but could she hand her child over to his crazy wife? She thought she wanted her baby to have a good father but now she began to reconsider. When she thought of keeping the baby with Finn or Puck she could never see how it could work out. Finn was too naive and she harbored too resentment towards Puck for getting her pregnant in the first place. But then she thought of Quinn who would do anything for her, who made her feel like never before, and she felt hope for the future. Maybe her daughter just needed good parents. Maybe she needed two mothers.

"Now what is this about?" Terri asked aggravated. Rachel sat between her and Kendra, her crazier sister. She had stopped by the Schuester residence one more time to discuss her doubts with the overbearing women. After reassuring them the baby was fine, they dragged her to the couch to talk.

"Yeah, I am missing my 'me time' for this." Kendra griped, "Do you know how hard it is to find a sitter for three gingers?"

Rachel took a deep breath and addressed the two blonde women, "I am having second thoughts on giving up the baby."

"You can't do that!" Terri practically shrieked in her ear.

Rachel cringed but said with conviction, "See as you have not been financial responsible for the baby, you have absolutely no claim over her."

"Listen here, ya little brat-" Kendra began to threateningly wave her finger at her. Terri however was quick to grab her sister's hand and in the scary, sweet voice say, "Excuse us for a minute."

The two women got up and hurried off to the kitchen where Rachel could here their frantic whispers turning into conspiring chuckles. Rachel began to feel uneasy when they returned with big grins on her face. Terri began, "While I do not agree with your decision, I must respect it."

"You know, raising kids is hard work. Maybe you could get a taste for it with my kids, the little angels. I need a babysitter on Friday. If you could do it that would be great." Kendra told her. Rachel paused. She knew this was a trap, after all, she had only ever heard the older woman describe her children as little demons or ginger dwarves, and now they were angels? But then again maybe this was the test that she needed, a test for herself and her potential partner. And if they could handle three hellions at once then perhaps they could handle one little baby. Rachel met them hard in the eye and puffed out her chest a bit.

"I would love to." She stood accepting their challenge.

"Great!" Kendra said as she seized Rachel by the arm. Terri was at her other side ushering her out of the room as well. They practically shoved her out the door as Kendra called after her, "Be at my house at 6."

"Oh and Rachel, if you change your mind, I would be happy to discuss the arrangement again." Terri smirked at her before she promptly slammed the door shut. Rachel sighed as she began to walk out of the apartment building. Now all she needed was the courage to speak with Quinn.

It was Friday and Quinn was miserable. It had nearly been three weeks since she had first confessed her feelings toward Rachel, and her silence was killing her. The blonde had to exercise every bit of her self-control to not contact the petite diva. Rachel needed space and she had to respect those wishes. But it was difficult when she had to watch Finn and Puck fight over Rachel like two dogs over scrap of meat. She knew that it would take time for the brunette to approach but she did not realize how painfully long it would be.

She dug into her locker and pulled out her history book, glaring at the heavy text, resenting it for its weight.

"What did that textbook do to you?" Santana asked, suddenly by her friend's side.

Quinn softened her brow, "Just transferring some of my anger onto inanimate objects."

"Rachel still has not called?" Santana asked knowingly.

"No and I am trying to be patient but…" Quinn trailed off. The head cheerleader was not accustomed to waiting for what she wanted.

"You are doing far better than I would." Santana tried to cheer her up, "You know me, I would have been beating down the door in two days."

Quinn laughed lightly. It was true. Santana had even less patience than she did. Her best friend was proving to be very supportive, during this whole thing. Maybe a bit too supportive at times, offering to break Finn's kneecaps or encouraging her to just 'lay one on Berry,' as she put it.

"I guess I am just getting used to waiting for Rachel." Quinn shook her head sadly.

"Your wait might be up, Amiga. She is headed your way." Santana smiled broadly as Quinn froze up. Rachel had a way of stunning her. The darker girl gave her a not-so-gentle nudge forward before she turned on her heel to undoubtedly find Brittany. Rachel shyly stopped in front of Quinn and smiled softly, "Hello."

The Cheerio gulped and tried to calm herself down but it felt like her heart was beating in her throat, "Hey Rachel."

Quinn internally cringed at how her voice shook but she continued on stronger, "How have you been?"

"Fine… Actually I've missed you quite a bit." Rachel looked down, a faint blush tingeing her cheeks.

"I've missed you too." Quinn broke out into a smile.

"I was wondering, do you have plans for tonight?" Rachel finally looked up into Quinn's eyes. The blonde never wanted to look away again. She had missed Rachel's brilliant smile and chocolate brown eyes that simply made her melt. Over the past weeks, she never had the opportunity to be close to Rachel, only able to steal far off glances of longing. And now being this close to her, Quinn felt her feelings for Rachel come back stronger than ever.

"Quinn? Do you have plans?" Rachel asked unsure. Quinn pulled herself back to reality.

"Uh, yes- I mean no. No, I don't have plans." She stuttered out. Rachel giggled and Quinn certain that she was now a puddle on the floor.

"I am baby sitting and I was wondering if you would like to come with me." Rachel smiled now a bit surer of herself.

"I would like that a lot." Quinn agreed. She would take anytime that she could spend with Rachel.

"Great it starts at 6." Rachel informed her.

"I will pick you up at 5:30." Quinn said, knowing that Rachel would want to be at least 15 minutes early.

The diva beamed, "Great."

"Great." Quinn mimed back. The two girls seemed incapable of moving as they stared at each other, grinning like fools.

"You are early." Kendra greeted them at the door as if their presence was an inconvenience. Quinn had picked Rachel up exactly at 5:30 and they arrived at their destination fifteen minutes before six.

"I thought we should meet the boys before-" Rachel never had the chance to finish her sentence because the older woman was pushing them inside the house.

"The rug-rats are in the basement playing. There is money for pizza on the refrigerator. Their bedtime is ten. We will be home around 12." She said abruptly than hollered, "Phil, we are leaving!"

Her husband ambled down the stairs, looking distraught at the thought of spending the evening with his wife. She looked at him expectantly, "Let's go."

"Have a good evening girls." He said as he passed by them.

"Right, good luck." Kendra chuckled cruelly.

After the parents had gone, Rachel turned to Quinn, "Well shall we go get acquainted with the children?"

"Let's do it." Quinn agreed though she was mildly nervous and her nerves only increased when they found the basement door and heard high-pitched screams coming from the other side.

Rachel stopped short, "Perhaps I will go order the pizza."

Quinn could easily see that she was avoiding going downstairs into the basement. Quinn was quick to reply, "I can do that."

"I know the number to this vegan place." Rachel refused her.

"I can look it up." Quinn was desperate to stay upstairs.

"My back hurts from the baby." Rachel hit a low blow but Quinn scoffed, "You are hardly showing."

However Rachel had already turned on her heel and was marching into the kitchen. Quinn huffed then took a deep breath, the things she did for this girl. She opened the door and winced when the yelling intensified. Bravely she went down the stairs to find the boys playing a game that seemed to involve at lot of running around and punching each other.

"Hey guys." Quinn put on a sweet voice to call their attention. The three kids froze on the spot and turned to her.

"Who are you?" the tallest asked rather rudely.

"I am Quinn, one of your babysitters." Quinn tried to remain polite with him, "What are your names?"

"I am Michael." The oldest said.

"Trevor." The middle child mumbled.

"And my name is Bradley." The youngest proclaimed pointing his finger to his chest. Quinn chuckled at this; maybe the kids were not all that bad.

"Well Rachel is up stairs ordering pizza. How about we go get cleaned up for when it gets here?" Quinn said noticing some sticky fingers and smudged faces.

"No cleaning is for girls." Bradley shouted and proceeded to run around again. Quinn groaned. It was going to be a long night.

It was a difficult task to round the boys up and wash their hands. By the time Quinn and Rachel had managed it, the pizza was there and the two girls were given a reprieve from the madness as the boys devoured the cheese pizza and they enjoyed their own veggie slices. The peace was short lived as the boys became bored with their meals.

"They probably have never heard a word of encouragement in their lives." Rachel murmured to Quinn as she manhandled the youngest to wipe sauce off of his face.

"What do you mean? It seems like they need to be punished." Quinn ducked in time for an empty cup to just miss hitting her in the face. She scolded the boy, "Trevor if you want more milk, you need to ask nicely, not throw your cup."

Quinn got up anyways and refilled it from him. Rachel went over to the counter with her to rinse off a rag, "No, I have been reading these parenting books and children need a proper balance of reward and demerit. Clearly these children do not get any attention and therefore are acting out as the only means of achieving some recognition."

Quinn was surprised. Not that she should be surprised that Rachel was well educated on any subject. On the car ride over, Rachel informed Quinn that she was CPR certified should any accident take place. But she was surprised to hear that Rachel was reading parenting books. Quinn thought that Rachel was planning on giving up her baby.

"Quinn, could you help?" Rachel called over to the blonde girl who was spacing out. She looked over to see Trevor tugging her arm while she was trying to get cheese out of Bradley hair.

"Of course, sorry." Quinn said but she did not think that Rachel heard her because Michael started to turn his plate into a drum.

After dinner just got worse as the boys got rowdier. Rachel and Quinn's luck took a turn for the worse when they were somehow tricked into playing cowboys and Indians. The boys quickly claimed the role of the savages and tied the two girls to chairs with jump ropes. They were now at the young kids' mercy as they ran about the living room whooping and hollering. Bradley managed to get his shirt off and smeared pizza sauce across his cheeks. Quinn was almost convinced that he was going to produce a hatchet at any moment in time.

"We should have been the Indians." Quinn told Rachel who was struggling behind her restraints.

"Now is not the time to reflect on our mistakes. We have to get out of here. Help me with these ropes." Rachel ordered.

"I am trying." Quinn grumbled. "Are these boys sailors?"

Rachel actually laughed, "What are we going to do with them when we get free?"

"I don't know." Quinn said before she realized, "Hey, I brought my guitar."

"Perfect, music soothes the savage beast." Rachel doubled her efforts.

"Got it." Quinn said triumphantly as she lifted the ropes off of them.

"Who wants to hear a song?" Rachel shouted over the racket. The boys stopped confused.

"Sit on the couch." Rachel told them as Quinn grabbed her guitar from the case. The kids' eyes widen at the sight of the instrument. The glossy wooden and twang of the strings as Quinn's fingers experimentally plucked at definitely caught their attention. They scrambled to the couch and sat down as Rachel smiled at her suddenly obedient audience and began to sing, "Papa I know you're going to be upset. Cause I was always your little girl. But you should know by now, I'm not a baby."

Quinn quickly caught onto the song and began to play along with Rachel's voice, "You always taught me right from wrong. I need your help, daddy please be strong. I may be young at heart, but I know what I'm saying."

Quinn began to wonder if Rachel was having a change of heart. Parenting books and her song choice, it seemed that the diva was rethinking the adoption route, "Papa don't preach, I'm in trouble deep. Papa don't preach, I've been losing sleep. But I made up my mind, I'm keeping my baby, oh I'm going to keep my baby."

Rachel finished the songs and the boys were quiet for a second before Michael stood up on the couch, "Again! Again!"

"Feet off the couch please Michael." Rachel requested and he quickly flopped down on his butt, "Now how do we ask properly?"

"Can you please play it again?" Trevor whined slightly.

"Yes, is there different song you want to hear?" Rachel asked.

"Home on the Range!" he said excitedly. Quinn chuckled at the request but began to strum out the song. After all, he was only 8. Rachel expertly sang the children's song and they boys even joined in at the end.

"Can you do John Jacob Jingleheimer Schmidt?" Bradley asked then remembering himself, "Please?"

"We can do that song. But only after we clean the kitchen." Quinn said as she thought of the demolished eating area. "Do you boys think you could help us?"

The boys practically sprinted into the kitchen. Rachel did the dishes and Trevor dried them. Michael helped Quinn clean the table and somehow the light fixture. Rachel gave Bradley a small hand held brush and dustpan for him to sweep up the crumbs off of the floor. Rachel sang Spoonful of Sugar as the crew cleaned. The kids were very impressed with Rachel's voice, as they seemed in awe of her, especially Trevor. He was so distracted by the brunette when she sang a particularly high note that he accidentally dropped a plate he had been mindlessly drying. As soon as the ceramic hit the tile floor it shattered into many pieces. The boy seeing what he had done instantly began to cry. Rachel instinctively scooped up the boy so that he would not cut himself on the shards.

"Michael, Bradley, go into the living room and play. I don't want you getting cut." Quinn ruffled Bradley's hair as she took his dustpan and brush so she could get the pieces off of the floor. The two scurried off and Rachel went to sit at the table, placing Trevor in her lap. Quinn finished cleaning the kitchen while Rachel soothed the upset child, "It is okay. Sh."

"I'm-m s-sorry." Trevor stuttered through his tears.

"It is alright. It was an accident." Rachel rubbed his back comfortingly.

"Am I-I in t-trouble?" he sobbed.

"No sweetie. Accidents happen. It is only a plate. I am just glad you did not get hurt." Rachel continued to cradle him. Quinn made eye contact with Rachel to let her know she was going to check on the other boys. Rachel nodded as Trevor sniffled into her neck. When he stopped crying completely, Rachel looked down at him, "You feel better?"

He nodded and Rachel grabbed a napkin to wipe his running nose. He resisted but Rachel was persistent, "Come here you snot monster."

Trevor giggled as Rachel successfully wiped his nose. The two in the kitchen heard Quinn pick up her guitar again and the other boys sang loudly, "John Jacob Jingleheimer Schmidt! His name is my name too!"

"Oh no, they started without us." Rachel acted shock. Trevor's eyes widened and he hopped off of Rachel's lap to join his brothers. Rachel laughed and followed.

Around 9, they just had finished a game of Monopoly in which Michael had creamed everybody. The other boys were a bit grumpy having felt the sting of a loss. Bradley stood up from his seat in Quinn's lap and stamped his little foot, "I want to sing again."

"I think it is time to settle down now." Rachel disagreed with him, "We need to get bathed before bed time."

"No!" Bradley shouted and kicked the board game, sending the pieces flying everywhere.

"That is not the way to behave." Quinn furrowed her brow to show her disappointment.

"We can sing after bath time." Rachel chided, "And after Bradley picks up the pieces he threw. Trevor and Michael, you go on ahead and take showers."

The older boys hurried off upstairs with the promise of songs. Bradley pouted with his arms crossed. Quinn turned to Rachel, "You can go up and help the other boys. I will stay with Bradley and help him clean up."

Rachel nodded, knowing that Bradley and Quinn had become quite taken with one another. She went upstairs and found Michael was already in the shower. She called to him, "Actually use soap."

"Man." She heard him muttered. Rachel then found Trevor was on his bedroom floor smashing dinosaurs together.

"Can I be the triceratops?" Rachel asked as she sat down on the floor with him. The little boy looked confused so the brunette picked up the correct dinosaur and showed it to him, "This is a triceratops."

"And that one is a Tyrannosaurus Rex." Rachel pointed to the dinosaur in his hand.

"What about this one?" he held up a dinosaur with a long neck.

"That is a Brontosaurus." Rachel said, "He is a herbivore, like me."

"Herbivore?" Trevor asked confused.

"It means he does not eat meat." Rachel said, "Only plants."

"You eat plants?" Trevor sounded disgusted.

Rachel laughed, "Yes, fruits and vegetables and grains."

"Cool then you can be the Brontosaurus." He held it out to her, "He is my favorite."

"Well thank you, what a good idea." Rachel took the offered toy. They played until it was Trevor's turn to shower. Rachel let Michael play his hand held video game for a bit while she monitored his brother. She was helping Trevor into his pajamas when she heard the water start to run in the tub. Quinn had begun Bradley's bath. She finished combing the bright red hair on Michael's head and went to check on the pair.

"Simon says raise your arms." Quinn's voice floated from the bathroom. She peered around the corner to see Bradley's arms held high and Quinn quickly swooping in to clean underneath them. It turned into tickling as Bradley laughter peeled into the hallway, along with Quinn's quieter chuckle.

"Now Simon says close your eyes." Quinn ordered. Bradley shut them tight and the blonde took the opportunity to fill a cup with water and rinse the suds out of his hair.

"Now touch your nose." Quinn told him. Bradley shook his head no vigorously.

"Very good! Simon did not say." Quinn said, "Now time to get out before you turn into a prune."

Quinn lifted him out of the tub and wrapped a fluffy towel around him before she noticed Rachel smiling at them, "Hey."

"Hey, " Rachel quietly.

"Are the others ready for bed?" Quinn picked up Bradley.

"Yes, I can help Bradley finish getting ready." Rachel reached for the small boy, "I cannot get Michael off of his Game boy, and maybe you will have better luck."

Quinn had an idea. She handed the youngest off to Rachel and went down stairs to fetch her guitar. She peeked in on Trevor who was still playing with his dinosaurs and then went across the hall to Michael's room.

"Hey buddy," Quinn greeted him, "Almost done with that game?"

All she got was a noncommittal grunt. She continued, "Because I thought you might like to learn some guitar."

The electronic device was suddenly discarded and he sat up eagerly, "I will take that as a yes."

Quinn talked to him about the guitar, telling him about the different parts and what they did. He would ask questions and she would answer them. She showed him a chord and would help place his fingers on the right strings.

"Now strum the guitar." She said. He slid the pick across the strings and the chord came out, for the most part.

"Not bad." Quinn encouraged, "A bit of practice you will be a pro."

He smiled proudly as Rachel came in with Bradley and Trevor, "We are ready for bed."

"I don't want to go to bed." Bradley pouted and began to jump on his brother's mattress.

"Well it is almost 10." Rachel said and Quinn helped the little boy sit down.

"How about a story." Quinn looked at the barely used bookshelf with almost pristine books.

"I am ten." Michael said skeptically, "I don't need a bedtime story."

"Well I am five." Bradley held up his fingers, "And I want one."

"Trevor you are the deciding vote," Rachel asked him, "What will it be?"

"A story." He settled down next to his brothers, "Please."

"Well let's begin." Quinn picked up a book of fairytales to read to the boys. After Little Red Rid Hood and Jack and the Beanstalk, Trevor was yawning and Bradley could hardly keep his eyes open. Even Michael's head began to droop.

"Time for sleep boys." Rachel said softly.

"One more song?" Michael inquired drowsily. Quinn smiled and pick us her guitar and began to gently pick out a melody that Rachel picked up on, "Catch a falling star and put it in your, pocket, never let it fade away."

Quinn joined her on vocals, "Catch a falling star and put it your pocket, save it for a rainy day"

When the song ended all three boys were fast asleep. The girls gingerly backed out of the room and slipped downstairs. They did not say much to each other but they cuddled close on the couch while Rachel read What to Expect When You Are Expecting and Quinn worked on some English homework. Rachel would show Quinn an interesting paragraph and Quinn would set aside her homework to listen and give feedback.

"Quinn," Rachel suddenly spoke after they had been quiet for a while, "I want to keep my baby."

Quinn was shocked, "You are going to keep her?"

"I don't know if I am strong enough to give her up." Rachel said with tears pricking her eyes, "But oh Quinn, I really messed up."

"Messed up how Rachel?" Quinn took her hand supportively.

"Before Finn and I started dating, I was helping Puck with his math homework. And we had some drinks and…" Rachel began to cry, "The baby is not Finn's. She is Puck's. Finn and I have not even had sex. What am I supposed to do?"

"It will be okay. In time it will be okay." Quinn pulled the smaller girl into her lap.

"Finn is going to be so mad at me." Rachel whimpered.

"Rachel, I cannot tell you what to do. The only advice I can give is do what makes you happy." Quinn told her.

"Quinn, I think, I think you make me happy." Rachel looked into hazel eyes and nearly swooned.

"You make me happy too Rach and I will do everything in my power to keep you and your baby happy." Quinn promised fervently. At that point Rachel could not stop herself from pushing forward and connecting her lips to Quinn's. Hearing Quinn accept her, made her happier than she had been in a long time. As their lips met for the first time, sparks flew behind their eyes. Warmth spread through Rachel's entire being as soft lips moved against hers. Rachel moaned as Quinn's tongue darted out of her mouth and met with her tongue. All of the weeks of flirting and coy glances had built up into this perfect moment. The kiss was passionate and desperate and… It felt so right.

"We are home." The girls heard Kendra singsong from the front door. Rachel leapt off of Quinn's lap feeling rather in a daze. Kendra and Phil walked into the living room just in time to miss it, "Where are the boys?"

"Asleep." Quinn stood up as well with a large grin on her face, looking rather pleased with herself.

"No way." Kendra said in disbelief, "Show me."

Rachel pulled herself together and led the way to Michael's room where she opened the door to reveal the three sleeping angels. Kendra gaped, "This can't be."

"They are really sweet boys." Rachel smiled fondly at them.

"What is that smell?" Kendra asked confused.

"Soap." Quinn smirked.

"Are you guys exorcists or something?" Kendra continued to be dumfounded while her husband wandered off with an amused smile.

"If you need a sitter again, don't hesitate to call." Rachel ignored the question and walked with Quinn down the steps.

Quinn and Rachel left the house with small secret smiles on their faces, holding hands all the way back to Rachel's house. Quinn was walking Rachel to her front door before they really spoke again.

"Can I see you tomorrow?" Quinn asked shyly.

"I would like that." Rachel nodded, "But just as friends. Before we can do this, I need to break up with Finn. And not until after Sectionals, for the Glee Club."

Quinn sighed but agreed. She imagined Finn would not react well to this and with Sectionals so close they could not risk him leaving. She could not argue with Rachel needing to maintain some since of morality, "I will call you then."

"Okay." Rachel leaned upward and placed a gentle kiss on Quinn's cheek, "Goodnight."

The blonde watched Rachel disappear into her house, her cheek pleasantly burning where Rachel had placed the chaste kiss, her heart bursting with glee.

**Okay so maybe a little rushed. But I got excited and just wanted to get it out there. Let me know what you cats think!**

**Also baby names? Ideas? Should I stick with Beth?**


	10. Chapter 10

**I like the names Melody and Violet… I want to see if I can find a name in a song so that it can be sung to Rachel… Any one know some songs? And I really like the suggestion to pull from Broadway. I will figure it out. Thanks for all the really great suggestions!**

**I really enjoyed writing the last chapter because of the three boys. I used to baby sit three boys, not with my girlfriend or anything but they were so sweet and around that age. I know how crazy three boys can be haha. I hope you guys enjoy the following chapters. And thanks for the kind words **

Quinn sat in Glee Club on Monday, day dreaming about Rachel, more specifically about kissing Rachel. Her thoughts had scarcely left the brunette ever since Friday evening. The kiss they had shared had been magically. It was everything Quinn had hoped for and more. The way Rachel slipped her fingers through her blonde hair and the feeling of Rachel's hips underneath her hands. Quinn had to bit back a moan just remembering the event.

"Is Rachel here?" Kurt suddenly asked slamming a pile of old yearbooks on the piano. Quinn would have ignored him if he had not said Rachel's name but now her interested was peaked.

"Not yet." Finn sounded relieved at that. Quinn rolled her eyes.

"Good. I need to discuss the yearbook photo with you. I have been doing some research." Kurt dramatically opened one of the books. "Exhibit A, Patrick Rice, seen here with a Hitler moustache and rice paddy hat. Shortly after the yearbook came out he suffered a mental break down. He is now the homeless man who sleeps outside of the public library."

"Patches?" Quinn asked. Kurt nodded solemnly.

"He barks at my mom." Brittany looked horrified.

"Exhibit B," Kurt continued, "Susan Green, seen here with a knife stuck out of her head, which turns out to be an eerie foreshadowing of events to come."

A couple of the Glee kids gasped. Quinn scoffed, "What is your point here Kurt?"

"I propose we do not fight Principal Figgin's ruling on this." Kurt looked around at his classmates, "Glee Club should not have a photo this year."

"Glee Club is not having a photo this year?" Quinn was surprised.

"Yes we have only been talking about it for the last ten minutes. Sue convinced Figgins to take it out so other students could not deface the library copies." Mercedes said incredulously, "Where have you been?"

Quinn was going to come back with a biting remark when Mr. Schuester walked in, "Hey gang, looking at some old Thunder Claps?"

Everyone smiled uncomfortably at their cheerful teacher, "Don't you worry. I am going straight to Figgins and I will make sure that each and everyone of your smiling faces will be in the yearbook."

Everyone looked distraught as the choir director left the room. Artie lamented, "We are doomed."

"Why are we doomed?" Rachel asked in a chipper manner as she joined the other Glee Club members. Surprisingly long, tan legs momentarily distracted Quinn. Rachel had her floral skirt hiked over her small baby bump so you could barely tell it was there at all, which left more leg than usual exposed.

"Quinn?" Rachel snapped her out of it since no one else was talking, "What is going on?"

"Um, Sue has convinced Principal Figgins to cut the Glee photo due to the excessive vandalism of it in the Thunder Clap." Quinn said gingerly.

"What?" Rachel whirled around and stormed right out the door.

"We are so doomed." Tina sighed.

* * *

Rachel was on the warpath. It was not as though she needed anymore yearbook cameos. She made it a point to be involved with many extracurricular activities including Debate Team, the Model UN, Volunteer Club, Renaissance Club, and The African American Students Union (her father was black after all.) It was important for her to be a well-rounded student so that she could get into the best college possible, that being Julliard. Not to mention all of the pictures where a great opportunity to practice for the paparazzi.

Besides all of that, she wanted to look back on her yearbook and be able to show her children, maybe this child, what she was like in high school. She wanted to share this important memory with her. All the other pictures meant nothing to Rachel but she really loved Glee Club and she was going to get that picture. She barged into the principal's office, coming in strong, "I am very sorry to interrupt Mr. Schuester, but Principal Figgins, as you may know this is my very first year in Glee. I have just been informed that New Directions has not been afforded a yearbook photo. As you might expect my two gay dads have a very close relationship with our local branch of the ACLU. And if it is up to me-"

Mr. Schuester suddenly interrupted her mile-a-minute rant, placing his hand on her shoulder, "I am one step ahead of you Rachel. The Glee Club is going to have a photo."

"Fantastic. Thank you so much." Rachel beamed at the dazed principal and happily left the office.

"Hey Rachel." Quinn was suddenly by her side as if she had been waiting outside the office.

"Hello Quinn." Rachel's smiled widened.

"How did it go?" the head cheerleader asked.

"Wonderful. We are in the yearbook." Rachel confirmed.

"Good, though I do not think the others will be as excited." Quinn warned.

"Why not?" Rachel was perplexed.

"They seem to think that having a yearbook photo will further exposure and promote more bullying." Quinn told her.

"That is ridiculous." Rachel said indignantly, "They should be proud of Glee and what we stand for. I mean we have come from so far behind and I just know we are going to take Sectionals."

"I know." Quinn shook her head mildly disappointed in their fellow teammates, though she could understand where they were coming from. Since she had joined Glee Club her status as the top dog had wavered. The other Cheerios would obviously whisper behind her back and once a girl had questioned her choreography. The daring girl had to run laps for the rest of their 2-hour practice. Still she could feel her power slipping ever so slightly.

"Well, it might just be you and me." Rachel shrugged.

"Let's hope it does not come to that." Quinn laughed.

* * *

"Alright gang." Mr. Schuester rubbed his hands together, "While I have secured us a spot in the yearbook. I could unfortunately only get a quarter page in the back. Now that is enough for two students. So we are going to elect two co-captains to represent New Directions."

Rachel quickly jumped to her feet, "Fellow Glee clubbers, I would just like to say a few words on how I would best represent you."

Before she had a chance to barrel into her probably long-winded speech, Mercedes quickly interjected, "I nominate Rachel."

"Second." Kurt muttered.

"Okay." Mr. Schue drawled out and began to pass out pieces of paper. Rachel contentedly took her seat seeing her victory at hand. After everyone turned in their ballots, Mr. Schuester quietly tallied them then looking up, "Looks like everyone voted for Rachel, including Rachel."

Rachel smiled broadly, ecstatic to be in the yearbook for Glee. Mr. Schue went on, "But we need two people to be in the photo."

"That is all right Mr. Schue. We are happy to let Rachel do it." Artie said as he rolled his chair away with Tina following closely behind.

"Yeah, having two people is unnecessary." Kurt waved off with Mercedes in tow. The rest of the Glee Club began to file out except for Rachel who sat stunned in her seat. Where was their club pride? Quinn threw an apologetic shrug over her shoulder and went with Santana and Brittany.

"I'm sorry Rachel." The choir director looked disheartened. Rachel understood. After all of the time he spent trying to build the club up, the others were still ashamed to be in Glee. They still judged themselves based on the opinions of rest of the student body.

"Me too Mr. Schue." Rachel sighed.

"You know, sometimes kids don't like to hear things from their teachers. I mean we are adults, what do we know?" Mr. Schue joked feebly but Rachel managed a giggle, "Perhaps you could convince one of your teammates to join you."

"On it Mr. Schuester." Rachel said determinedly, "You can count on me."

The next day all Rachel had to prove from her efforts were sore feet and flimsy excuses. Mercedes was too busy to be in the photo because she was preparing for Kwanzaa, a holiday that did not start until the middle of December. Brittany would not do it because she would vandalize her own picture. Finn said he had football and friends. Artie said that if they took the picture together, she would have to lean over to make up for height difference and give her the appearance of stomach rolls. That excuse had been enough for Rachel, besides Artie really was much more of a follower. She had one more shot as she caught up to a certain blonde, "Quinn."

"Hey." The Cheerio smiled at her though she sounded wary. She must have heard of Rachel's crusade to recruit a co-leader.

"Quinn, I would like to offer you the opportunity to join me in the photo for the yearbook." Rachel went on anyways, trying to keep up with Quinn's longer strides.

"I don't know Rachel." Quinn looked uncomfortable, "I am already slipping in rank among the Cheerios."

"Are you really going to let other dictate your actions?" Rachel asked incredulously. Honestly she had expected more from Quinn. The head cheerleader stopped and turned to face Rachel in the middle of the bustling hallway.

"It is not that I am ashamed to be in Glee Club. I just have to take other things into consideration." She said evasively.

"Quinn you are a leader and leaders lead by example." Rachel lectured, "Glee Club did not work until you joined. We would have fallen apart by now if it were not for you. Please Quinn? I thought you care about me…"

At this point, Rachel deployed her best puppy dog eyes and she saw the blonde's resolve crumble, "You are right."

"So you will do the picture?" Rachel's eyes lit up.

"Yeah I will do the picture." Quinn agreed.

"Wonderful! I will see you tomorrow." Rachel wanted to hug the taller girl but she kept herself in check. Quinn nodded as they forced themselves away from each other.

* * *

Quinn was in the Cheerios locker room, preparing for her picture with Rachel. The persuasive diva had convinced her to partake in the photo in true Rachel fashion. Of course Rachel had been right about everything that she said. She loved Glee Club and she should be proud to be a part of it.

"Hey Quinn." The blonde turned to see a group Cheerios led by Amber, the girl who had questioned her dance moves. Quinn did not notice the arrogant girl held a slushie in her hands before it was too late. For the first time in her life, Quinn felt the cold sting of a slushie hitting her right in the face.

"You bitch!" Quinn growled.

"Now that is not nice." Amber reprimanded her while the other girls giggled.

"You are going to regret this." Quinn wiped red corn syrup from her eyes.

"I don't think so." Amber glared, "We heard about you being in the Glee club photo and just thought you should be wearing the right thing."

Quinn looked down at her soaked uniform and felt ice drip down her back. She was losing control; she had lost control, "It is not black and white anymore. Why can't the kids in Glee and Cheerios get along?"

"Don't give me any of that Kumbaya crap Quinn. The hierarchy is in place for a reason. The losers and mouth-breathers belong on the bottom and we belong on the top. Pick what side you choose carefully." Amber said ominously as she and her minions began to walk away.

"Oh Amber," Quinn called to her. She stopped but did not turn around to face her captain, "I would watch your back if I were you."

"I don't think that will be necessary anymore Quinn." She said unaffected by Quinn's threat. As soon as the three girls had gone, the head cheerleader slumped defeated against the lockers with the frozen beverage pooling at her feet. If she took the Glee Club picture with Rachel then she would sink further down the rungs of the social ladder. The more exposure she got in Glee Club the more difficult it would be to maintain her head bitch status. Quinn desperately wanted Rachel and being in Glee made her happier than she had been in a while but at the same time she was not ready to abdicate her crown to some uppity Junior.

"Rachel forgive me." Quinn muttered to herself as she went to the showers to clean off the humiliation.

* * *

Rachel realized that Quinn was not coming. She sat there, heart broken with the photographer urging her to hurry it up. It took all of her effort not to cry. She thought that Quinn cared. She thought that Quinn was better than the rest of them but it turned out she was as much of a coward as Finn.

"Um, I actually need to see your teeth." The photographer interrupted her thoughts, "It is my job to make you smile so do you think you can shake a leg here."

"I am sorry. I just need a moment." Rachel ignored the man's eye roll and went to look at herself in the mirror. She had to talk herself up. She could not let other people's opinions define her. She could not let the disappointment define her. Rachel knew that it would be lonely at the top. This was just another way to prepare for her life on the stage. She stared at her reflection, focusing on bringing up each corner of her mouth, parting her lips to reveal her pearly, white teeth until she achieved a believable smile. "Okay I am ready."

"Great." The photographer sounded completely uninterested. Rachel positioned herself so her left side was showing and gave him a bright smile. He snapped a few pictures then said, "Alright, I think we've got it."

"What? That is it? I have been practicing all week for this picture. I have not even shown you my over the shoulder pose." Rachel swiveled around to demonstrate, "See?"

"That is nice. But I have to go. I am directing a commercial for my brother and I have a casting call." He informed her.

"Casting call." Rachel's eyes lit up.

"Yeah, I am very excited about it really. I wrote the script and everything." He began to brag but Rachel was not listening. Big, fat teardrops were falling out of her eyes and she began to sniff, her face twisted into a pout and she started to cry.

"Oh no, oh no. We have time for some more. I can stay-" The photographer said panicking at the sight of her tears.

"I can cry on command." Rachel was suddenly back to being her bubbly self.

"What?" Confusion was evident in his tone.

"It is just one of my many acting skills and except for nudity and offensive language, I would be willing to do anything to break into the biz." Rachel said earnestly

"Okay," The photographer said, "That is great and you seem talented and all but I need more than one actor. Like a bunch more."

"I think I can help you with that." Rachel smiled broadly at the intimidated man.

* * *

Quinn had changed into her spare uniform so the only evidence that she had been attacked was her damp hair still in its regulation high ponytail. She wanted to slip into Glee rehearsal without talking to Rachel. The blonde was so ashamed for standing her up. Of course, Rachel was one step ahead of her.

"Where were you Quinn?" Rachel appeared by her side, hurt apparent in her big brown eyes.

"Rachel, some Cheerios slushied me in the locker room. I was washing off…" Her excuse sounded weak even to her ears.

"Don't give me that Quinn. You could have come and told me or messaged me. You did not have to leave me there to wonder." Rachel sniffed.

"I am sorry Rachel." Quinn implored her, "I chickened out. I have never been slushied before. What was I supposed to do? I would have completely lost the other cheerleaders respect."

"What is worse Quinn? Losing their respect or mine?" Rachel asked.

"Rachel don't-" Quinn felt Rachel's words stab at her heart.

"No Quinn. I am sorry but if you can not stand next to me in Glee, how can you stand next to me with a baby?" Rachel whispered to her.

"Rach," Quinn's voice cracked slightly but the diva turned away from her, prepared to ignore whatever the blond had to say. Quinn had to slink away and take the only available seat left next to Finn.

"Is my head shaped like a potato?" Finn was shifting his eyes about as if he were trying to see the shaped of his own head. Quinn rolled her eyes at him and sighed dejectedly. She had really messed this up with Rachel. They had not even started dating yet and she had managed to let her down. The head cheerleader vowed to herself to make this right. She needed another chance; another chance to stand proudly by Rachel in the school yearbook. It would have to wait though because she needed to pay attention to the brunette as she lectured the rest of the Glee Club.

"I realize now that everyone thinks of Glee Club as a joke. After all of the preaching about embracing your individuality and standing up against discrimination, you all are still scared, cowering behind your anonymity." Rachel's eyes lingered on Quinn and the blonde ducked her head in disgrace. "I hope you are happy with yourselves."

"And while you guys were concerning yourselves with your reputations. I have been securing the Glee Club's first big break." Rachel continued with pride.

"What do you mean?" Mercedes asked suspiciously.

"I mean that New Directions will be appearing…" She paused for affect, "in a television commercial."

"What? No way." The group began to buzz excitedly.

"Yes, we shall become local celebrities. And no one messes with celebrities. It will further secure Glee's spot at this school." Rachel said joining in the enthusiasm.

"What are we selling?" Santana asked, leaning forward.

"Are you ready for this?" Rachel prompted, "…Mattresses!"

"Hell yeah," Puck crowed.

"I am going to get some new, you know, nice, black suspenders." Artie told Tina.

"My mom is going to be so proud." Finn announced while everyone else chatted animatedly with one another.

Quinn stayed quiet though, beaming at Rachel who was bouncing up and down with pleasure. Quinn caught the smaller girl's eye and they shared a warm smile, until Rachel remembered that she was upset with Quinn. She went to join Kurt to talk to him about starting a gay/straight student alliance, which feel upon deaf ears. But that brief moment was enough to encourage Quinn. The Cheerio would make it up to Rachel some how.

* * *

"Okay let's go over the lines again." The director ordered. New Directions all stood around with their scripts in matching blue pajamas as costumes.

"Excuse me sir. But I was thinking, your script is great and all, but we are a Glee Club. I thought we would perform." Rachel interjected. She was thrilled to be shooting her first of many television appearances but this amateur was ruining it.

"No, no, just read the lines." He shook his head.

"Wait a minute," The owner of the mattress store looked at her curiously, "What did you have in mind?"

"Well, I did have something in mind if you would like to see it." Rachel said hopefully.

"Let see what you got kids." The owner rubbed his hands together. Rachel gathered everyone together as she ignored the glares she was receiving from the director. "Okay gang, I thought we could do a fresh twist on an old classic. After all, it is the older generation buying mattresses."

Rachel pulled out a CD that she had borrowed from her dad. Finn took it from her hands, "Cool, Van Halen."

"I am glad you agree Finn because I think that the vocals best suit your voice. Do you know the words to Jump?" Rachel asked.

"Of course." Finn nodded.

"Great. Now we just need to work out so choreography. Mike, Brittany, Santana, Quinn, do you think you could do some gymnastics?" Rachel struggled to say Quinn's name. Since Quinn had not shown up to the Glee photo, the blonde had been very quiet and contrite. She was giving Rachel space but that did not stop the occasional flower in her locker or note telling her she looked beautiful that day. Rachel wanted to stay angry with Quinn but the blonde was making it difficult. Rachel had to keep reminding herself that it would take more than a couple flowers to earn her trust again.

"We can definitely do that." Quinn went off with the others to work out some synchronized flipping. Rachel reorganized her thoughts and moved on.

"Mercedes, I think that you it would be best if you take the high note at the refrain up an octave. You know really pack a punch." Rachel pulled out sheet music and showed her.

"Diva, you know I got this." Mercedes flipped her hair. Rachel laughed.

"Artie, I made you up a sign." Rachel produced the sign from seemingly nowhere with the word 'JUMP' painted in blue on it. "I thought you could hold it up when the word was sang."

"Thanks Rachel." Artie said appreciating that she had made the effort to include him in the group. Rachel continued on to help Finn warm up his vocal chords.

* * *

Quinn planned the routine along with Santana. Mike and Brittany were goofing off flipping about on the mattresses. They had most of it figure out was the Latina sprung a question on her, "What is going on blondie?"

"What do you mean? After the double tuck we roll into the front flip. It is pretty simple." Quinn explained.

"No, I mean with you and the dwarf." Santana corrected her and ignored Quinn's glare.

"I don't know what you mean." Quinn glowered.

"Bull, Q." Santana snapped, "Last week you were looking at each other longingly and driving her home everyday after school and now you barely making eye contact."

Quinn rubbed her forehead, "I messed up S."

"No shit Sherlock." Santana snorted, "What happened?"

"I was supposed to be in the Glee photo with Rachel but…" Quinn glanced at the diva who was instructing Finn, "Right before I was supposed to meet Rachel, I- I got slushied."

"Jesus Quinn! Why didn't you say anything?" Santana's eyebrows shot up.

"You do not know how humiliating that was." Quinn shivered at the thought of it.

"Who was it?" the darker girl asked.

"Amber was the one that did it but Karen and Liz were there too." Quinn looked down embarrassed.

"Of course." Santana cursed, "Don't worry Q. We will take this. They will not know what hit them.

"Thank you San." Quinn touched her friend's shoulder gently.

"Hey, no one messes with the Unholy Trinity." Santana nudged her playfully.

* * *

"We are ready sir." Rachel said confident in their team's ability to perform. Thirty minutes later they had done a quick run through and were ready to go.

"Great. Let's start rolling." The director said unenthusiastically. New Directions took their places as he called, "Action."

"I get up! And nothing gets me done." Finn came in right on cue while the rest of the members sang back up along with the music. Rachel joined him to support his untrained voice on the higher notes. The Cheerios and Mike looked great flipping along to the beat. At a certain point they forgot they were performing and just had fun together singing and dancing together.

"Come on down The Mattress Factory!" They all said together, panting lightly for the excursion of constant jumping. The owner of the store broke out into applause, "That was fantastic!"

"Thank you." They chorused.

"You kids just thought of that on the spot? Man, you were incredible." He continued obviously pleased with the results.

"It was nothing." Rachel put on a shy act.

"It was great. But what about the important information?" The director reminded him.

"We can edit someone talking over it at the end." He waved off his brother as if it were not a big deal. "The little chatty one can do it."

Rachel read some lines in front of a green screen and their job was complete. Rachel went back to the dressing room to find her other teammates were already back in their regular clothes.

"That was really fun Rachel." Tina said as she exited to go find Artie.

"Yeah, way to go hobbit." Santana left with Brittany on her pinky finger.

"We nailed it diva." Mercedes patted her on the shoulder.

"Yeah, we did!" Rachel agreed. Everyone had filed out leaving Rachel to change by herself. She was almost ready to call her papa to pick her up when someone rejoined her in the dressing room.

"You were really great today." Quinn's distinctive voice cut through her thoughts.

"Thank you Quinn." Rachel avoided eye contact with the blonde. Rachel knew that if she looked into those hazel eyes she was done for, "It was really a team effort. Your choreography was fantastic."

"It is nothing I don't do for the Cheerios." Quinn shrugged, "You deserve most of the credit. Glee would be lost without your leadership."

"Well, we are lucky to have your expertise for Glee." Rachel said with as much professionalism that she could manage.

"I am happy to do what I can to help Glee." Quinn said.

"Does not seem like it." Rachel said sadly. A pained, guilty expression crossed her pretty face. Rachel immediately felt bad for saying it.

"I know I disappointed you." Quinn looked at her determinedly, "But I will to make it up to you."

"I want to believe you Quinn." Rachel sighed. She wanted Quinn to be the support she needed. She felt more for the blonde than she had ever felt for anybody, including Finn who she had a crush on since the first grade.

"I have not given you any reason to believe in me." Quinn stepped forward her eyes searching Rachel's, "I called you awful names and I let the jocks throw slushies in your face everyday, Rachel. I am trying to make it right but I have let you down again. I just, I want you to know that I am not going to stop trying."

Rachel felt warmth flush in her stomach as it filled with butterflies. She studied Quinn who was looking at her with a mixture of desperation and adoration. The blonde was not the cold, hard cheerleader that had terrorized her freshman year. Even her features seemed softer than Rachel remembered. The taller girl was close enough that Rachel could smell the sweet scent of vanilla and coconut coming off of her. Rachel wondered if it was her shampoo or perfume. Everything about Quinn lulled her, made her feel safe.

Rachel ignored her speech as she began to walk around the blonde, moving to the exit. In her peripheral vision she saw the cheerleader's shoulders slump in disappointment. The brunette's hand grazed Quinn's as she passed by and she paused. The gentle contact shot sparks across her skin. Rachel spoke softly, "I really hope you don't stop."

* * *

"I have some bad news gang." Mr. Schuester said dejectedly. Quinn sighed. She knew what was coming. Once again the Glee club was in trouble. "It is about the commercial you did."

"Did you see it Mr. Schue?" Finn asked excitedly.

"I saw it the other night after Sue's Corner. It looked so great." Mercedes chimed in.

"You guys looked lame. I looked awesome." Brittany deadpanned.

"We were all wearing the same thing…" Artie tried to remind her but back off when Santana glared at him.

"Guys listen." Mr. Schue began to get frustrated.

"What is wrong Mr. Schuester? Did you not like our performance?" Rachel asked perplexed.

"No, you all did great. In order to be eligible for competition we have to have amateur status." Mr. Schuester told them.

"We are only professional if we get paid for it." Kurt said keeping a level head. Everyone's eyes went to the stack of mattresses that they had received.

"We will just return the mattresses and explain…" Rachel trailed off, as Mr. Schuester shook his head no.

"I slept on a mattress." He admitted, "And you can't return a used mattress."

"Okay, we will return the others and no one will have to know." Santana said as though she did not see how this was a problem. As a Cheerio they were given perks all of the time that were far better than some cheap mattresses.

"It is too late." Will informed them sadly, "Sue knows and she has already told Figgins. There is only one way for you kids to go to Sectionals. I accepted the payment, so if I do not go you will be eligible to compete."

"But Mr. Schue, we can't do it without you." Finn whined.

"Sure you can." The choir director encouraged, "I did not do my job as a teacher if you can't. I mean look at what you did for the commercial. You did that without me and it was great."

"We will miss you Mr. Schuester." Rachel's big brown eyes watered slightly.

"I will miss you guys too." He said getting a misty nostalgic look, "But on the brighter side, guess who has an entire page in the Thunderclap!"

"What?" Everyone was surprised

"Yeah, by some miracle Coach Sylvester has given New Direction one of the Cheerios pages." Mr. Schue smiled at his students' excitement.

"That is some miracle." Rachel beamed knowingly at Quinn who was trying to conceal a small smile of her own. The head cheerleader thought about her abrupt conversation with her coach.

"_Coach Sylvester we need to talk." Quinn stormed into the office. She had just found out that the abrasive woman was attacking the Glee Club again. She had over heard the conversation in the principal's office between the two warring teachers and their clueless boss and now she had to do damage control._

"_What has your panties in a twist Q?" she took off of her glasses._

"_You are going to give Glee Club a page in the yearbook." Quinn demanded._

"_Ha, that chance is fatter than your Jewish girlfriend's ass." She scoffed._

_Quinn pushed through the insult through gritted teeth, "You are going to give Glee Club one of the Cheerios six pages."_

"_And what makes you think that I will do that and not kick you off the squad?" She crossed her arms._

"_Because if you don't. I am going to tell Principal Figgins about the Cheerios complementary tanning, spa visits, free clothing, etc." Quinn threatened, "It seems like if he knew about that it would seem like the Cheerios are getting paid and not eligible to compete for Nationals."_

_The older woman looked shocked for a moment before she ruefully shook her head, chuckling, "I forgot why you were my captain Q. You remind me so much of a young Sue Sylvester. My question is what happened? Why are you sticking up for the Cabbage Patch kids?"_

"_I guess I enjoy being in a group that actually makes me feel good about myself and like I belong for a change." Quinn bit back._

"_Well that is awfully weak of you." Sue sneered._

"_Not as weak as Amber's back flip," Quinn smirked, "Goodbye Coach."_

The blonde had finally found the perfect opportunity to make it up to Rachel and the way diva was looking at her it seemed to be working. Mr. Schuester brought Quinn out of her thoughts, "So I want you kids to get all gussied up and take this picture."

Rachel lingered in the choir room while everyone else went to primp for the photo. She quietly went to Mr. Schuester's office where he sat at his desk, looking far less animated then he had been. "Mr. Schue?"

"Hey Rachel. What is up?" the Spanish teacher sounded on the verge of tears.

"Why did you use the mattress?" Rachel asked as she glanced at the used cushion on the floor next to him.

"I got into a fight with my wife." He told her reluctantly.

"About the baby?" Rachel looked down ashamed.

"Yes… Were you really going to give her your baby Rachel?" He sounded incredulous and hurt.

"It started out like that but then I told her I could not… I did not mean to hurt you Mr. Schuester." Rachel apologized.

"Rachel you are just a kid." He said, "You just were trying to do what was best for you and your baby."

"So we are okay?" Rachel asked gingerly.

"We are okay." He smiled kindly, "Don't worry about. Now go join your friends."

Rachel felt really bad for her favorite teacher. They did not always see eye to eye, especially about the number of solos that she received but she could not imagine how he was dealing with his marriage unraveling before him.

"Rach?" a familiar voice call to her, "You ready?"

She turned to Quinn, "I am."

"Good because I want to stand right next to you." Quinn blocked her path, searching Rachel for her response, to see if she had been forgiven. Rachel slipped her hand into Quinn's in a friendly gesture.

"I would not want to be anywhere else." Rachel pulled Quinn to join their teammates for their first photograph all together as a team.

* * *

The next week, the yearbooks came out. Rachel sat in the library by herself with the new book.

"What are you looking at Rachel?" Quinn came up behind her, letting her fingers play with silky locks.

"The Glee photo." She sighed.

"Don't look at that stuff Rach." Quinn tried to console her. "They people who deface our picture are ignorant."

"Including me?" Rachel smirked. She moved her shoulder out of the way so Quinn could see the page. It was not defaced yet except for the witch's hat on her head and broom in her hand. The diva held a guilty sharpie marker in her hand. The blonde looked surprised. Rachel shrugged, "If you cannot beat them, join them"

"I know you are not comparing me to a green outcast." Quinn laughed.

"You are prickly." Rachel giggled though she was impressed that she caught onto her Broadway reference. The brunette fell a little bit more for the cheerleader when she recognized her attempt to draw her as Elphaba from Wicked.

"Well, they don't come more bubbly than you." Quinn sat down next to Rachel and took her pen. Rachel watched as Quinn drew a crown on her head complete with a wand and full skirt. Rachel let out a full laugh.

"Perfect." Rachel said as Quinn finish putting little stars around her.

"Yeah, perfect." The cheerleader agreed but her eyes were only on Rachel.


	11. Chapter 11

Mercedes hit speed dial 3 as she sashayed down the hallway. The person picked up before the first ring ended. The curvy diva dove straight into the conversation, "I cannot believe it."

"I know I am freaking out." Tina replied as she coincidentally joined her friend's side, "Hold up. Artie is buzzing in. I am going party line."

"Dudes, if Finn finds out he is going to flip his shit." Artie's voice came over both of their phones.

"Kurt wants in." Tina said shortly.

The flamboyant boy snatched Tina's phone, "I vote we lock Rachel up until the Sectionals is over. I volunteer my basement."

"…I am not sure how that would help but we can't. We need her to sing at Sectionals." Mercedes reminded him.

"Damn her talent." Kurt cursed. Mercedes smirked. Of course, Kurt would want to get rid of Rachel for a week. It would certainly minimize the competition, and amount of talking.

"We just heard." Santana and presumably Brittany connected with the call though no one was entirely sure how. "Who knew Rachel had it in her?"

"Santana, you cannot tell Finn." Mercedes warned.

"And why would I do that?" The Latina sounded mildly offended.

"To get back at her. Aren't you and Puck dating?" Artie suggested.

"Sex is not dating." Santana snapped.

"Yeah, if it was Santana and I would be dating." Brittany's airy voice interrupted everyone. There was an awkward pause.

"Look, I don't want to rock the boat." Santana pushed forward, "You people are not the only ones who have been working their ass off to go to Sectionals."

"Hold up. She is passing." Mercedes muttered, then with much false enthusiasm addressed Rachel, "Hey hot mama!"

Rachel looked confused but waved as she passed. Mercedes breathed a sigh of relief, "She is gone. I know I really mess up by telling you guys about Puck and Rachel and I feel really bad about it but we cannot let Finn find out."

Mercedes thought back to last week when she had caught Puck staring at a stolen sonogram from Rachel's locker. He had confessed everything to her under the condition that she did not utter a word to anyone else. But she could not help but tell her homeboy. Then Kurt had to tell Tina. Tina had let it slip to Artie and well; the cat was out of the bag.

"Finn will quit like a giant, drooling infant and then we will really not have a chance at Sectionals." Kurt last words sat ominously with them as they snapped their cell phones shut.

/

"Alright guys, I have found my replacement." Mr. Schuester informed the Glee Club as he presented them with the redheaded guidance counselor, "So give it up for Ms. Pilsbury."

There was a half-hearted attempt at applause. Brittany looked worried; "She is the one they made me talk to when they found out I was keeping that baby bird in my locker."

Santana glared skeptically, "So do you even know anything about music?"

Emma tried to nod but Mr. Schue jumped in, "What is important is that she cares about you just as much as I do."

"Now I do not know what the future holds for us but I know on Saturday you guys will make me proud. You will be great. So, goodbye for now." A somber mood fell over the group as their former choir director turned his back to them.

"Wait, what about our set list?" Mercedes inquired.

"I cannot help you with that. You have to figure it out for yourselves." He told them sadly as he continued to make his was out of the door.

"Well, we have to do Proud Mary in wheelchairs. That's in." Artie said desperately trying to cover up the gloom by submerging into work.

"And Don't Stop Believing for sure." Finn tried to smile at his duet partner and girlfriend but she avoided his eye contact.

"What about the ballad?" Tina asked.

Rachel was quick to stand up, "I would be thrilled to contribute a ballad from my repertoire."

"Okay enough Miss Bossy Pants." Mercedes said sounding fed up, "I work just as hard as you and I am just as good as you. You know, you always end up stealing the spotlight."

"Mercedes, are you sure? Ballads are sort of my thing." Rachel proudly proclaimed to Ms. Pilsbury.

The ginger counselor was quick to mediate, "Rachel, why don't you let Mercedes give it a shot."

Rachel nodded and graciously bowed out as Mercedes dominated the club's attention. She turned to Brad, the piano player, "Do I even need to tell you what song?"

He shook his head and the other accompaniments stood up, "Horns, strings keep up."

"And I am telling you, I'm not going," Mercedes soulful voice drifted around the room, "You're the best man that I ever know, there is no way I could ever go."

The piano complimented her vocals, "No, no there's no way. No, no, no, no way that I am living without you. I don't want to be free."

"And you and you, you're going to love me." Mercedes performance began to pick up as she began more passionate, "Tear down the mountain, yell, scream, and shout. You can say what you want to but I am not walking out."

The club cheered for her unable to contain their excitement and applauded as the diva hit a practiced high note. Rachel smiled proudly at her sometimes friend. The petite girl loved being center stage and getting all of the solos. But it was moments like this, watching Mercedes bare her heart out in song, that it was moments like this that made it all worth the while. It was not always about her. It was about the team making it together. Rachel knew that she was a little spoiled and accustomed to receiving the solos but in reality it was because the others let her get away with it. And true, in the past to have Mercedes challenge her would have been insulting, and she would have stormed off in a fit. But she could not bring herself to be selfish anymore. Not with this little girl growing in her belly.

"Love me. Love me. Love me." Mercedes belted out the end of the song that had the whole club on their feet giving her a standing ovation. After the exhilaration calmed down, Mercedes turned to Rachel, sounding a bit winded, "Thoughts?"

"It is clear the room adores you." Rachel said humbly. Then she joked lightly, "Though it would not be my first choice, I cannot wait to see you perform it at Sectionals."

Rachel spoke softly so only Mercedes could hear, "You were amazing. And you deserve it. I am going to hug you now."

She laughed a bit, surprised and pleased, as Rachel brought her arms around her. For the first time, Rachel finally felt that they were really teammates.

/

Rachel left Glee Club feeling better than she had in a while. She never thought losing a solo could feel so great. Her mood diminished slightly when she Finn caught up to her, "That was pretty cool in there."

He said referring to Rachel's accomplishment to conceding the solo to Mercedes, opposed to Mercedes actually performance, "That must have been hard for you."

Rachel shrugged, "It was the right thing to do."

Finn continued to follow her until they stopped at her locker, "You know, I am looking forward to Sectionals."

Rachel smiled at him surprised that he was finally admitting to enjoying Glee. Normally she had to drag it out of him, like his talent was a burden and not a gift. Finn went on, "It has been a hard couple of months, with the baby and everything. I feel like winning could make everything… good for a while."

Rachel felt guilt stab her in the gut. She had no right to be doing this to the boy. She was not his problem and this was not his baby. She needed to tell him but they also needed to win Sectionals. Just until Saturday, Rachel told herself. So instead of telling him the truth, "Yeah, maybe. Excuse me Finn, I forgot something…"

And with that she hurried back into the choir room.

/

Finn watched as his girlfriend practically ran away from him. He had just done some major sharing of his feelings. He thought that girls ate that stuff up but Rachel had barely acknowledged it. He thought maybe he could at least make it back to first base with that, because since a few weeks ago he had been striking out. Rachel rarely even held his hand anymore. He tried to tell himself that it was her pregnancy hormones but now he was beginning to think that something was wrong.

"What's up bro?" Puck said adjusting his backpack as he joined the taller boy.

"Hey, I was just thinking. Have you noticed something is up with Rachel?" He asked the badass.

"What do you mean?" Puck played innocent.

"She just, does not seem that into me anymore? I thought that with the baby… I don't know." Finn looked hurt.

Puck sighed, "Dude, I am going to do you a favor."

"What do you mean?" Finn asked interested.

"You are my bro, and bros don't let bros suffer." Puck said vaguely.

"Suffer?" Finn was thoroughly confused as usually.

"It is not your baby." Puck blurted out.

"What are you talking about? Rachel told me-" Finn was cut off.

"Rachel told you that your sperm traveled through a hot tub. Did you really believe that?" Puck said incredulously.

Finn furrowed his brow, "Then how?"

"Before you and Rachel got together… We did it. I am the father." Puck confessed.

"No." Finn felt devastated.

"I did not mean to hurt you man." But Puck's words went unheard as Finn snapped, as his fist swung into his best friend's face.

/

Two bodies fell into the choir room. Before anyone knew it they had scuffled across the floor until someone gained the upper hand was punching the other repeatedly in the face. Quinn finally noticed that it was Finn pummeling Puck for all he was worth and she realized that the shit had hit the fan. The members could only watch in horror as their team fell apart. They did not even notice that Ms. Pilsbury had run to fetch Mr. Schuester who was now dragging the two football players apart with the help of Mike and Matt.

"Knock it off. Get off." Mr. Schue yelled. "What is going on here?"

"Ask him!" Finn shouted at Puck as he still tried to struggle from the other boys grasp. Puck just shrugged ashamed making the taller boy even angrier, "Don't play dumb! You are too dumb to play dumb!"

"Who told you Finn?" Quinn asked tersely as she tried to gain control of the situation for Rachel's sake, who was standing there mute, a delicate hand covering her mouth as her eyes welled with tears.

"It was Rachel." Kurt said like it was obvious. Quinn looked at Rachel shook her head indicating that she had done no such thing when the entire group. The head cheerleader knew she would not have jeopardized Sectionals.

"It was Puck. But I want to hear it from her." Finn faced Rachel still yelling.

"Just calm down." Mr. Schuester tried to place a comforting hand on his shoulder but the quarterback squirmed away.

"No, she is lying to me. They have been lying to me!" Finn was panting heavily as he asked his girlfriend again, "Is it true? Just tell me, is it true?"

Rachel walked passed everyone with tears running down her cheeks. She stopped right in front of the distraught boy. Quinn wanted to rush to her side and calm the brunette's fears. More importantly she wanted to make sure that Finn did not do anything stupid. But she knew that Rachel needed this moment to come clean with her boyfriend. The weight of all the lies was finally being lifted from her petite shoulders. Rachel could finally start making choices that made her happy. So all Quinn could do was stand there and watch with the rest of the Glee club.

"Yes." Rachel said so it almost sounded like she was letting out a breath of air she had been holding for a long time, "Noah is the father."

"All that stuff in the hot tub, you just made it up?" Finn was actually surprised as hurt dripped from his voice.

"You were stupid enough to buy it!" Puck barked from behind Rachel, trying to support her. Finn lunged at his friend again in attempt to attack him again but the Spanish teacher managed to stop him.

"I am so sorry." Rachel cried, "It was before we- I was afraid-"

"No. Forget this." Finn shook his head, not bothering to hear her out, "I am done with you. I am done with all of you!"

The hulking teen barreled out of the room, angrily kicking a chair over on his way out. Quinn wanted to roll her eyes at his childish antics but the sobbing brunette in the center of the room held all of her attention. Suddenly, Rachel fled the room as well with Puck hot on her heels. Quinn had to stop herself from going after Rachel but she knew that the parents had things to discuss.

/

Rachel sat on a bench, cradling her small baby bump. In five months, she would be holding a real baby in her arms instead. The thought was terrifying. She saw Puck cautiously approach her, "I am sorry I told. If you want to hit me, I understand."

Rachel shook her head at his apology, "I am not mad at you."

The badass took this as an invitation to sit down and he explained, "But I did it for selfish reasons. I wanted you two to break up."

"No," Rachel sighed, "You were brave enough to do what I could not do. Tell the truth."

"Rachel I know you are upset now but, I want to be with you." Noah proclaimed, "I will do anything to be the best father I can be to this baby."

"I am sure you will. But Noah, I don't want to be with you." Rachel could see the crushed look in his eyes. Rachel bite back more tears. Finn, Mr. Schuester, and now Puck, "I have hurt so many people."

"It is Quinn isn't it?" Rachel looked up surprised.

"How?" She asked as Puck shrugged.

"I see the way you look at each other and I wish that is the way you look at me." Puck shifted his gaze downward.

"Noah," Rachel gently placed her hand on his arm, "You will make some girl very happy one day. I am sorry that it is not me."

"Don't be sorry." Puck said, "I am not sorry for how I feel. You should not be sorry how you feel."

"Noah Puckerman, when did you become so smart?" Rachel tried to lighten the mood.

"I guess something about having a baby on the way changes you." Puck admitted with a rueful smile. Rachel nodded knowing the feeling. Her daughter growing in her stomach definitely rearranged her priorities.

"I still want you to have a place in the baby's life. In our lives." Rachel told him honestly, "The baby needs a father and I- I could really use a friend."

"I will be there." Noah promised. Rachel slipped her arms around his muscular shoulders and his came across her back as they both fell into a comforting hug.

/

Rachel did not see her coming. Quinn had anxiously waited for as long as she could, pacing around in the choir room even after everyone had left. She combed the empty hallways for Rachel and Puck and found them sitting on a bench in each other's arms. Her heart dropped as painful questions popped into her mind. Had she lost Rachel? Did she choose Puck?

The boy's Mohawk raised up as he finally noticed Quinn. He stared the blonde as he extracted himself away from Rachel, "I am going to go."

Rachel's head followed his line of slight and her eyes met with Quinn's. The brunette smiled softly at her, Quinn returned it with relief. As Puck passed by her he paused, "Don't hurt her."

Quinn just shook her head. She never wanted to hurt Rachel again. With Puck gone, Quinn hovered unsure in front of the diva, "Are you alright?"

"I will be." Rachel gestured for Quinn to sit down.

"I understand if you need some time." Quinn vowed, "I will wait for you."

"You know, I was imagining sitting here, holding my baby with Puck." Rachel ignored the blonde's statement, "And I was petrified at the thought. But I imagine sitting here, holding my baby with you, and it is not so scary."

Quinn's heart thumped happily in her chest. It felt as though her dreams were coming true. But Rachel had just experienced a violent break up with Finn and she had to be sure, "Rachel, I don't want to rush you."

"Quinn, honestly, I feel like we have done enough waiting." Rachel was leaning forward, her eyes locked on Quinn's lips. The blonde had to agree. Every fiber of her being was drawing her towards Rachel's luscious lips, until they finally brushed against each other. Even from the light contact, Quinn felt her world shake. The kiss deepened as the blonde flicked her tongue against Rachel's mouth. The brunette immediately opened up to Quinn as she explored the warm carven with gentle curiosity. The Cheerio took her time in learning made Rachel whimper or even quietly moan when she lightly sucked on her tongue. Finally they pulled apart, gasping for air. Quinn rested her forehead against Rachel's and memorized her face. Her eyes were still shut and her lips slightly part and swollen. Her sweet breath warmed Quinn's cheek. The brunette's eyes fluttered open, revealing deep, brown irises that hypnotized her. She was perfect.

"Rachel, will you go steady with me?" Quinn asked softly, the fear of rejection still in the back of her mind. But Rachel mouth stretched into a brilliant smile and the words 'Yes, of course' fell out of her pink lips. Quinn drove back in for another kiss.

/

It was Saturday. The big competition was a few short hours away but one could not tell by looking at the kids of New Directions. They all hung out the bus windows glumly while Mr. Schuester gave some last minute instructions to Ms. Pilsbury. Rachel sat next to Quinn with the blonde discreetly rubbing her thigh in a comforting manner. The petite diva was grateful for the gesture. She watched on as Jacob Israel jogged up to the teachers, "Reporting for duty."

"Thanks for filling in Jacob." Mr. Schue said. "We really appreciate it."

"Actually, I am only here because I want to get into Rachel's panties." He confessed. Rachel rolled her eyes but she could have swore that she heard Quinn growl under her breath while Jacob continued talking, "I actually have horrible public event anxiety."

"That is okay Jacob because we just need a twelfth member." Emma tried to reassure him. "Just stand in the back and sway. You don't even need to sing."

"Yeah, don't sing." Mr. Schuester quickly agreed.

"I am going to help Artie." Quinn slipped out of the seat to help their wheelchair bound friend find a place on the bus. Rachel nodded as she sank back down into the bus but still kept her eyes on their choir director that they were leaving behind. Rachel sighed. They could really use Mr. Schuester today, especially since no one had heard from Finn. Rachel had tried to call him to explain and apologize but he was ignoring her. She knew that he had every right to be angry with her. She had lied to him. But he did not see that he was letting the whole team down, his friends, by abandoning them when they needed him the most. When she was crying in Quinn's arms on Friday night after Finn had ignored her fifth phone call, she told her that she could hold herself responsible for Finn's selfishness. Rachel tried to believe the blonde but she knew that this all could have been avoided in the first place if she had just told the truth.

Rachel felt the fake leather of the bus seat shift behind her as someone sat down next to her. She cringed. She would recognize that raspy breathing pattern anywhere. Jacob's clammy hands massaged her shoulders, his skin sticking to her cardigan. She shrugged him off and was about to tell him to get lost but someone beat her to it.

"If you value your life, move mouth breather." Quinn ordered coolly. Jacob practically fell out of the seat and scrambled away from the head cheerleader. As Quinn sat back down in her seat, she muttered to herself clearly annoyed with Jacob's audacity. Rachel attempted to hide her giggle.

"What is so funny?" Quinn asked perplexed.

"Nothing." Rachel smirked, "It is just you seem…tense."

Rachel picked her words carefully but Quinn caught on and whispered to her, "Well, I just don't like the kinds of ideas Jacob has about my girlfriend."

The diva swooned. She was Quinn's girlfriend and Quinn was hers. The thought still made butterflies flap in her stomach. Her face tinged pink with pleasure, "Well then all you have to do is remember that I am yours Quinn Fabray."

Quinn blushed too and secretly picked up Rachel's hand, brushing her thumb over tanned knuckles. As they gazed dewy-eyed at one another, Rachel thought that maybe today would not be so bad.

/

Quinn nervously bit her lip as she surveyed the Glee Club. Things had only gotten worse since the bus ride, a lot worse. They had just finished watching the Jane Adam's girls perform and it had been disastrous. Not only had they performed Mercedes ballad but they also had sung Proud Mary in wheelchairs no less. New Directions was a mess. Artie was repeatedly ramming himself into a wall; Tina was trying to comfort Mercedes; and she thought that had Jacob had wet his pants. Even Rachel stood defeated with her cute nose pressed into a corner.

Ms. Pilsbury was frantically talking into her cell phone, probably seeking guidance from Mr. Schuester. Quinn knew that one of the deaf kids' songs would be Don't Stop Believing. She also knew that Sue Sylvester had leaked the set list to ruin the Glee Club once and for all. The red haired teacher timidly approached the brooding teens, "Alright everyone, what we just saw was unfortunate but we sill have one song under our belts. We have nothing to worry about. We will knock their socks off."

She did not sound very convincing. Everyone just stared at her blankly, having already excepted defeat. She sighed, "Well let's go watch the second school and give our friends some support."

Quinn got up and went over to Rachel. Wrapping her arm around slim shoulders, she pulled the diva out of the corner and filed in line with their teammates back to the auditorium. They sat down and the lights dimmed. Quinn suppressed a groan as the familiar notes of Don't Stop Believing opened up. Half way through the song most of the audience members were crying but Quinn could tell the Rachel was fed up. The shorter girl surprised Quinn when she jumped out of her chair, "Meeting in the green room in five minutes."

Rachel spoke over the droning on stage as she did a diva storm out. Quinn grimaced; her pregnancy hormones were in full swing.

Once everyone was congregated in the green room there was an uncomfortable silence, as no one knew what to say to make this better. Kurt's was the first to speak, "You leaked the set list. You do not want to be here. You are just Sue Sylvester's little moles."

He was quick to direct the blame onto the Cheerios who stood off to the side in their uniforms. Quinn glared at him, "Initially yes. Sue wanted us to spy but I have stopped doing that a long time ago."

The blonde dared him to question her. Santana spoke up, "We may still be Cheerios but we never gave Sue the set list."

"Well, I did." Brittany confessed quietly, "But I did not know what she was going to do with it."

Everyone's anger deflated slightly. No one could really be mad at the ditzy cheerleader. She had not meant to the harm the Glee Club. Sue had taken advantage of her wide-eyed naivety and trusting nature. Plus Santana was staring everyone down with such ferocity that they were afraid to speak. The Latina spoke to defend Brittany, "Look believe what you want, but no one is forcing me to be here. And if you ever tell anyone this, I will deny it, but I like being in Glee club. It is the best part of my day, okay? I was not going to go and mess it up."

The group was stunned silent, not sure if this was a trick or if the vicious girl was being honest. She took a seat next to where Rachel was leaning against the wall. The petite diva studied her for a moment, "I believe you."

Quinn watched with pride as Rachel tried to lead the wayward assembly back on track, "There is no point in arguing anymore. We have to go on in an hour."

"And we have no songs." Tina bemoaned.

"Perhaps I could improvise some of my Def poetry jams." Artie said somewhat unhelpfully.

"No," Rachel shot him down, "We are going to do this the right way. Let's start with the ballad. Mercedes do you have anything else you can sing."

"Yeah, but it is not going to be as good as anything you are going to sing." Mercedes admitted painfully.

"No, we agreed that you would sing the ballad." Rachel insisted.

"We agreed I would sing and I am telling you that it isn't happening." Mercedes stood up and walked over to Rachel, "Look Rachel, the truth is, you are the best singer we've got."

Kurt piped up, "As much as it hurts me to admit it, and it does, she is right. Rachel is our star. If anyone is going to go belt it on the fly, it should be her."

Rachel smiled shyly at his compliment. Mercedes looked at her expectantly. The brunette gushed out, "Well I do have something I have been working on since I was four."

That made the team chuckle. They were on their way. Quinn smiled fondly at her girlfriend, "Then we have our ballad. We can close with Somebody to Love. It is a real crowd pleaser."

"Yeah, that and a can of soup will guarantee us third place. We need another song we can all sing together." Puck said harshly. Quinn fixed him with a stare. They did not need the negativity right now. Quinn was going to suggest he shut up or say something useful but someone came shuffling in the room, "I have one."

All eyes turned to Finn who was holding a stack of sheet music in his hand. "I found the music online. I used the Cheerios copy machine to make copies. I think I trashed the thing. Quinn, Santana, Brittany, Mike, you are our best dancers. Figure something out and we will follow your lead."

Quinn wanted to punch Finn in the face, as he mimicked Rachel from when they did the mattress commercial. She knew that they needed his voice to help when this thing but having him swoop in last minute, acting like the savior really grated against her nerves.

"It is going to be choppy." Mike worried.

"That is okay. We are best when we are loose." Finn said. Everyone stared at him, waiting for something more reassuring to come out of his mouth. Quinn stepped in, "All we have going for us is that we believe in ourselves and what we are singing about. If we can show the judges that, then we still stand a chance."

The head cheerleader was accustomed to making winning pep talks. Confidence began to build again as the dancers began to roughly plan out the choreography. Now they had something to do. Now they did not have to sit idly by as first place was ripped from their grasp. There was hope once again. Jacob willingly forfeited his spot back to Finn and the team was back to normal, for the most part.

Puck extended his hand to Finn, "We cool dude?"

"No," Finn glowered as he brushed passed him. The paused in front of Rachel, hurt welling up in his eyes.

"Finn, I-" she tried to say something, anything, but Finn walked away to go work with Matt and Mike.

Quinn saw the exchange and went to Rachel's side, "Don't worry about him. This is your solo, your chance to be a star. Don't let him distract you from the goal."

Rachel nodded shakily and they joined the team in preparation.

/

Rachel breathed in deep. She knew the words. She knew the steps. She had practiced her facial expressions in the mirror since she was 12. All these facts did not stop the nerves from tightening in her chest. The diva hummed to relax her throat. She heard the announcer introducing New Direction. This was her moment. Dramatic notes filled the hear ears and it was her cue to go, she drew back the curtains, and stepped out, "Don't tell me not to live, just sit and putter. Life's candy and the sun's a ball of butter. Don't bring around a cloud to rain on my parade."

The walked down the few steps that entered into the back of the performance hall. She watched as the back of the audience's head turned away from her, people craning to see the petite singer, "Don't tell me not to fly, I've simply got to. If someone takes a spill, it's me and not you. Who told you, you're allowed to rain on my parade."

She made her way down the aisle, taking her time to get to the stage, "I'll marching my band out, I'll beating my drum. And if I'm fanned out, your turn at bat, sir."

She spun around and saw Ms. Pilsbury and Jacob sitting. Her heart still hammered against her chest but she was not nervous anymore. She sat primly on Ms. Pilsbury's armrest and serenaded her, "At least I didn't fake it. Hat, sir, I guess I didn't make it."

If the amount of drool Jacob was producing was any indication to the quality of her performance, then she was doing quite well, Rachel thought as she walked dramatically backwards, "But whether I'm the rose of sheer perfection, or freckle on the nose of life's complexion. The cinder or the shiny apple of its eye!"

The notes soared from Rachel's mouth with practiced ease, "I got to fly once, I got to try once, only can die once, right, sir?"

She ascended the stairs to the stage, "Oh, life is juicy, juicy and you see, I got to have my bite sir!"

Now she could survey the whole of her audience, their rapt attention on her as she moved about the stage, "Get ready for me, love, cause I'm a comer. I simply got to march, my heart's a drummer. Don't bring around a cloud to rain on my parade!"

The song began to build and Rachel kept right up with it, " I'm going to live and live now. Get what I want- I know how. One roll for the whole show bang, one throw that bell will go clang. Eye on the target and wham. One shot, one gun shot and bam!"

Rachel rushed to the front of the stage, "Hey, Mister Armstein, here I am! I'll march my band out."

The singer's arm gestured to the back entrances of the auditorium where her teammates where streaming down the aisles. The boys sharp in their black shirts and silky, red ties. The girls beautiful in black dresses with matching ribbons tied around the middle just like Rachel's. The crowed was impressed as they applauded and cheered, "I will beat my drum, and if I'm fanned out, your turn at bat, sir. At least I didn't fake it. Hat, sir, I guess I didn't make it."

The rest of Glee club joined her on stage as she finished the song, "Get ready for me, love, cause I'm a comer. I simply got to march, my heart's a drummer."

Rachel took a deep breath. Her small arms rising slowly as the song finished, "No, nobody, no, nobody is going to rain on my parade!"

The audience followed her arms as if they compelled them to rise from their seats. The perfect note ringing through the theater was met with thunderous applause. Rachel panted as she received her first standing ovation. She did not have to time dwell on it as she introduced her friends, "Ladies and gentlemen, New Directions."

She indicated to the group that had fallen into formation behind her. The audience took their seats once more and Rachel found her spot on stage. Quinn was right behind her as they exchanged smiles. The blonde mouthed to her 'so proud' and Rachel had to fight the urge to jump into her arms in front of everybody. Instead she turned to face the crowd as everyone was already singing, "You can't always get what you want. You can't always get what you want. But if you try sometime, you'll find, you get what you need."

Finn broke away from the group, started singing, "I saw her today at the reception, a glass of wine in her hand. Oh, I knew she was going to meet her connection, at her feet was a footloose man."

He ignored Rachel as he passed but the brunette just focused on remembering the choreography that they had just learned moments before stepping onto the stage. It was simple as they turned about the stage, much like a marching band, but it worked.

"You can't always get what you want. You can't always get what you want. You can't always get what you want." Everyone joined in the chorus, their hands shot up in a wave, "But if you try sometime, you just might find, you get what you need."

The dance broke down as they danced with each other and clapped to the beat. Mercedes supplemented the song with some expressive vocals. Rachel went to the front of the stage while the others sat behind her on the risers, "And I went down to the demonstration, to get my fair share of abuse."

The girls danced to the front. Quinn was the last as she grabbed Rachel's hand for a moment, spinning her around. Kurt danced with Rachel and the other boys partnered with the girls, "Singing, we are going to vent out frustration, if we don't we're going to blow a 50-amp fuse! Sing it to me now!"

Rachel saw the audience enjoying the performance as the swayed and clapped along with the old Rolling Stones song. While she sang with the Glee club as a single unit, Rachel had the overwhelming feeling that they could not lose, "You can't always get what you want. No, you can't always get what you want. But if you try sometime, you just might find, you'll get what you need!"

As the song ended with itself climatic finish, the spectators were on their feet once again, giving New Directions their much-deserved praise.

/

"It does not look good guys." Artie pulled the glass away from the door. He had been trying to listen to the judges' deliberation but could only hear muffled angry tones. The gang looked around nervously at each other.

"Hey," The Jane Adams girl's coach found them in the hallway, "I just wanted to say how great you all were. And I thought you were amazing."

"We have nothing to say to you." Rachel snapped. Quinn positioned herself behind the diva and rubbed her lower back, hoping to calm the angry pregnant girl. It was a soothing gesture that could not be seen from how tightly packed they were together.

"Because we cheat." The woman said ashamed, "I know and I feel terrible. But I am going to tell the judges right now that we do not deserve to win."

New Directions looked at her surprised but grateful that she was coming clean. She was about to enter the judges' room when it opened and the news anchor led the judges out as he was trying to get the bubbly blondes email address. She got excited when she saw the Glee Club, "You guys were so much fun to watch. You should be really proud."

"Get me the hell out of here." The older woman abruptly barged out of the room, dragging the beauty queen with her.

The other coach grabbed the male judge in attempt to speak with him, "There is something I need to tell you…"

"I am sorry. Our decision has been made." He said in his hokey voice. She turned to them and shrugged apologetically as she backed way.

"Well, let's go face the music." Artie rolled himself away and the others followed. Only Quinn and Rachel hovered behind for a moment alone.

"Are you alright?" Quinn gingerly stroked Rachel's soft arm.

"We did really good today." Rachel said sadly.

"Of course we did. You were phenomenal Rach. The crowd adored you. I adored you." Quinn said not understanding why the diva was so down.

She smiled at the compliment but shook her head, "That may be, but what does a washed up news anchor, runner-up Miss Ohio, and a state paid cynic know about show choir competitions?"

"I think she was actually sixth runner-up." Quinn deadpanned.

Rachel laughed, "Quinn, I am serious. They probably just drew a name out of a hat."

"I am sorry." The blonde hide her smile, "But even if they had never heard music before in their lives, they would know that no one could touch you. Baby, you move people. That will always trump gimmicks and flashy dance moves."

Hope flashed back in Rachel's eyes, "You think?"

"I know." Quinn took her hand and began to lead her down the hall.

"Baby, huh?" Rachel teased after a beat of silence.

Quinn blushed and stuttered, "I- ah…"

"I like it." Rachel reached up and placed a chaste kiss on her lips. Pleasure flooded Quinn's body.

/

"We have some things to show you Mr. Schue." Finn's tall frame loomed in front over everyone. With a bit of a dramatic pause, he stepped aside, revealing Artie holding the first place trophy. The newly reinstated choir director clapped his hands and crowed with joy. Rachel pushed Artie forward so he could present him with the large award. He admired the shiny trophy, then addressed his students, "I am so proud of you guys. You won fair and square. The vote was unanimous and the judges did not even know about all of the shenanigans going on. So, congratulations. You earned this."

They clapped, happy to be over their first adversity, and having exceeded all expectations. Mr. Schuester brought them down a little, "But know we have Regional's to worry about. And you can bet that Vocal Adrenaline will be hard at work so we should be too."

The curly-haired teacher tried to get them started but Puck stopped him, "Actually, Mr. Schue, there is one more thing."

"Since you were not able to watch us perform, we put together a special number just for you." Rachel playfully shook Artie's shoulders, "Take a seat."

Finn presented him with a chair and forced the teacher down into it. The students laughed at his bewildered expression as they began singing a melody. They shuffled around until they formed a line. Then Rachel took over, "Guess this means your sorry. You're standing at my door. Guess this means you take back, all you've said before."

Rachel produced a cowboy hat as they imitated an April Rhode's performance, "Like how much you wanted any one but me. Said you'd never come back, but here you are again."

Rachel tossed the hat to the grinning teacher who barely caught it. The students practically shouted the chorus, needing to release the pent up energy, "Cause we belong together now, yeah. Forever united here somehow, yeah."

Brittany, Kurt, and Tina started their Single Ladies dance, "Cause you got a piece of me. And honest, my life would suck without you."

The Unholy Trinity danced like when they had first auditioned for New Directions. Mr. Schuester's eyes misted over as he watched how far they had come since the original five members had struggled to be in the same room together, let alone laughing and dancing together.

"I know that I've got issues." Finn and the boys fist pumped in the background, "But you're pretty messed up too."

Quinn appropriately made a halo with her hands over Rachel's head, smiling down lovingly at her, "Either way I found out, I'm nothing without you."

"Cause we belong together now, yeah. Forever united here somehow, yeah. Cause you got a piece of me. And honestly, my life would suck without you." As they sang together again, dancing parts of Push it, Proud Mary, and other performances, they could forget about all of the turmoil that had been brewing between them. New Directions had a long road ahead of them but it would be met with determination and friends.

/

Much later, Quinn will pull out of a heated lip lock with Rachel, and honesty say, "My life would suck without you."

Rachel will respond with renewed fervor, her lips attacking Quinn's.

/

**I went on vacation and have come back with a tan and a new chapter. Little bit of drama headed your way hopefully. Warning: I am so bad at angst. I just want everything to be sunshine and puppy dogs. But I really appreciate when you guys comment and let me know your thoughts. Thanks!**

**Oh, and sorry about all of the singing scenes. I am not really sure how to incorporate them into writing but I feel like they are important to the story… since that is what the show is about… Hope no one minds too much!**


	12. Chapter 12

Quinn walked into McKinley High School with her head held high. She was feeling on top of the world since Saturday when they had won Sectionals. After the competition she had whisked Rachel away to a romantic, congratulatory dinner at Breadsticks then they had gone back to Rachel's house to cuddle and watch movies. On Sunday she had snuck off after church with her parents to study with her diva, which had turned into a heated make out session much to her delight. Their relationship was sailing smoothly along and it did not even matter that she had Don't Rain on my Parade stuck in her head for 5 days because it reminded her of Rachel and she loved everything that reminded her of Rachel. The head cheerleader hummed the tune as she made her way down the hall.

"Hey Quinn," The girl occupying her thoughts popped up next to her.

"Hey Rach." The blonde grinned.

"So, I made us hers and hers date calendars." Rachel proudly displayed the calendars with kittens on them. Except, Rachel had taken the pain-staking effort to photo shop their heads on the cats' bodies, "I wrote down my schedule in yours and I want you to write your schedule in mine. That way we know when we can see each other."

One gunshot and bam Quinn thought as she froze in alarm. It was like Rachel's words had flipped a switch inside her head with the diva openly discussed corresponding kitten calendars for everyone to her. She would have thought this was a great idea but Rachel was practically shouting about their relationship in the hallway and people were beginning to look. For the first time Quinn felt a stab of panic. Rachel continued to babble on, "Are you free on the 6th? I was thinking we could go see Phantom of the Opera at the Children's Autism Center."

"Um, this is great Rachel." Quinn quickly snatched the calendars out of her girlfriend's hands. The blonde felt a thin layer of sweat form on her brow. Where people stopping and staring now?

"Are you alright Quinn?" Rachel asked concerned, "You look warm."

Rachel reached out to feel the Cheerio's perspiring forehead. Fear jolted through her as she dodged the caring hand. If Rachel touched her, then people would know. The brunette looked bewildered at her, a bit of hurt swirling in her chocolate eyes. Quinn shook her head, "I am fine. I just have to go…"

And with that Quinn fled like a trapped wild animal leaving the diva behind in confusion. She did not stop until she made it to the Cheerio's locker room. Slightly out of breath, Quinn leaned against the wall of lockers and sank down to the floor. She wanted to be with Rachel more than anything. Quinn had been so busy pursuing the talented singer that she had not taken the time to stop and consider the repercussions.

Being out with Rachel meant having to endure criticism, having to walk through the halls with her peers staring at her and judging her. She had already gotten that sickly sweet taste of being slushied by her own subordinates for simply being in Glee Club. Not that she had to worry about that anymore. Amber and her gang had shown up to Cheerio's practice 15 minutes late drenched in blue food coloring. Coach Sylvester had been fuming not only about their tardiness but they had soiled the good name of their uniform. She had made them run laps in their sticky state for five hours while Santana had just thrown her a wink and devilish smirk. Quinn smiled gratefully and wished that she could have been there for the hellish revenge but being the leader meant never getting your hands dirty.

Even with Amber in her place, surely a new wave of rebellion would occur if they found out she was dating the school nerd. Her fall from grace might have been barely, potential slushies and all, if the thought of her parents finding out did not make nauseous with fear pulsing through her veins. Quinn could face the torment at school but she could not handle the rejection at home. The blonde chewed her lip in worry as she fought back the tears.

/

Rachel tried to shrug off the feeling of abandonment as Quinn raced away from her. She was probably just late for a meeting with Coach Sylvester. Rachel would be running to that too. She would not want to incur the wrath of that particular teacher. Quinn had at least taken the calendars, which was more than she could say for Finn. He had avoided them, mumbling a pathetic excuse about being allergic to cats. Her relationship with the head cheerleader was already exceeding the relationship that she had with the quarterback. Quinn not only showed up to plans they made but also instigated them. The blonde was attentive and kind. They actually held real conversations in which Rachel spoke and Quinn was ready with an appropriate response, even helpful advice.

Once she had been discussing with Finn the hardships of homelessness, or at least she thought she had because when she waited for him to respond he had said 'that's great' with a big phony smile. Quinn listened to her.

Quinn was affectionate. With Finn, his affections were limited to trying to grope her butt or feel up her boobs while shoving his tongue down her throat. Quinn was content to cuddle and run her fingers through her hair. The blonde also had taken to placing a kiss on Rachel's forehead that was so sweet and tender it warmed her inside.

Most importantly, Quinn loved the baby. Finn had adamantly declined to touch her swelling belly. When Rachel tried to discuss the future with him, he would start to cry or evade the topic. Quinn talked about the baby as much as Rachel wanted to. She shared her fears and they tried to plan what would happen once the baby was born. The cheerleader never referred to the baby as an 'it' as Finn had so insensitively called her daughter. And Quinn loved her barely noticeable baby bump, sometimes holding her hand on her stomach for hours in attempts to feel her kick. Rachel was showing but just scarcely, which was how she had managed to not tell her fathers yet of the pregnancy. Quinn gently urged her to tell them but tried to remain respectful to her decision. The brunette knew she could not hide the bulge much longer with baggy clothes and her increased appetite. But she knew Quinn would support her through it all.

Their fledgling relationship was barely a week old and she was happier than she had been since her first slushie facial freshman year. So she refused to believe that Quinn was avoiding her. The Cheerio would meet up with her at lunch with an apology and a kiss. They would probably laugh over something Coach Sylvester had said about sloppy babies and everything would be all right.

/

Quinn was sulking at her locker when Santana and Brittany, "What is up, Q? Looks like you have seen a ghost."

Santana noticed her complexion was paler than usually. Quinn was glad she had her friend to confide in, "Rachel and I are dating."

"Congratulations." Santana exclaimed happily.

"Sh!" Quinn looked around suspiciously.

"Sorry. Congratulations." Santana whispered sarcastically.

"Your baby is going to be beautiful." Brittany said wistfully. Neither Santana nor Quinn took the time to explain that Rachel could not actually be pregnant with Quinn's baby.

"What is with the whispering?" Santana asked as Quinn continued to act paranoid.

"I am really happy. But I think Rachel wants to be a bit more… open about our relationship than I do." Quinn glared at a passing freshman causing him to run in the opposite direction.

"Quinn, you are on the top of the pyramid. I think you can be out and not have to worry about it." Santana tried to reassure her.

"It is not the student body I worry about." Quinn felt tears pricking her eyes, "If my parents found out…"

"I see your point." The Latina recognized. She knew better than most people the cold indifference or harsh critique that was Judy and Russell Fabray, which Quinn had to endure since infancy.

"I don't know what to do." Quinn composed herself.

"Well you have to talk to Rachel." Santana told her.

Quinn nodded, "She will understand, right?"

Santana did not say anything. Instead she spotted Finn walking by, "Excuse Britts and I. Sue has us on some bogus mission to make Rachel jealous by dating Finnessa. She thinks it will make her quit Glee or something."

Little did the cheerleading coach know that Rachel was already perfectly happy dating the captain of her squad. Quinn did not address the silly scheme, "She will understand, right?"

Quinn reiterated but Santana was pulling Brittany away who was trying to tell her that dolphins were actually gay sharks. Quinn called after her friend, "Santana? Santana!"

"Why do you need Santana?" Rachel surprised the blonde at her locker.

"Nothing." Quinn stuttered, "Cheerio stuff."

That was partially true Quinn tried to tell herself. They had at least mentioned Coach Sylvester. But Quinn cringed as suspicion sparked in the diva's eyes. She could have the whole school fooled, eating out of the palm of her hand but she could not lie to Rachel Berry for the life of her. Quinn started walking briskly down the hall to conceal her guilt but Rachel right on her heels.

"I know that being my girlfriend is a challenge." Rachel admitted while Quinn fought the urge to gag her until they were in a more secluded area. But after a moment of frantic searching it seemed that Rachel's comment went under so she continued to listen, "I am not like you. I am not pretty and popular."

Quinn desperately wanted to argue that point. Rachel was beyond pretty. She was beautiful and being popular was not important to her. But Rachel was on a roll so she had to wait it out, "And my personality, though exciting and full of surprises isn't exactly low maintenance. But I will always be honest with you. Painfully so, and all I ask in return is that you be honest with me."

Quinn was surprised at how calmly Rachel delivered this sentiment. She knew that Rachel was dealing with crazy pregnancy hormones so she was a little taken aback that she had not accused her of lying and burst into tears. Quinn led her into an empty part of the hallway, next to the trophy case. Quinn tried to pick her words delicately, "Rachel, I think that we should keep our relationship… private for a while."

Those had apparently not been the right words. Rachel looked like she had just slapped her, "What?"

Quinn tried to back track immediately as warning bells went off in her head, "Rachel, I still want to be with you. You make me so happy. And when I am with you I like who I am but-"

"I will tell you who you are." Rachel interrupted her with angry tears escaping her eyes, "You are a scared little girl. You are afraid that dating me will hurt your reputation, which while you will never admit it, is very important to you."

Quinn tried to protest, "That is not it."

"I see you for who you are but you see me as a silly girl who can never get it right. So if you want to shove me the corners like a dirty little secret that is fine." Rachel said rashly.

"Rach." Quinn tried to appeal to reason but could not get word in.

"If you would take a second, then you would realize that I am the only person in your life who knows you and accepts you for who you are, no matter what." Crying overwhelmed Rachel, making her flee from Quinn's company. The blonde was left feeling incredibly hurt by Rachel's words, namely because most of them were true. She took a deep breath. Rachel had said those things in the heat of the moment plus with the baby making her crazy, Quinn could not really fault her. They would talk again when the diva had cooled off. The head cheerleader sighed and started off to history, already planning her apology in her head.

/

After school, Rachel went to the music section of the public library. Normally, she would hang out with Quinn but she was not ready to face her girlfriend quite yet. She needed some time to think and it helped her to be surrounded by the music books filled with the songs from the greats of Broadway. Also, she needed to work on Mr. Schuester's inventive hello assignment because he had been less than thrilled with her interpretation of The All-American Rejects' Gives You Hell. He was probably mostly annoyed because his precious Finn Hudson seemed to think the song was directed at him Rachel thought bitterly; the quarterback was obviously a favorite of the choir director's. Her ex-boyfriend always did have the tendency to think the world revolved around him. The diva did not know why he insisted on looking like a kicked puppy though when moments before he had clearly been hitting on Brittany and Santana. The two Cheerios had seemed oddly interested in his opinion of Hawaiian pizza but Rachel could not bring herself to care.

In hindsight singing the song to her girlfriend had been a bit severe even though the cheerleader had taken it in stride. She was upset and the song illustrated her feelings perfectly. Quinn could hide their relationship but Rachel would always be there to remind her that she could not hide from herself. Of course once she had finished performing, she had felt horrible about giving the blonde such a hard time. Now in the library she felt worse, having all of her anger drained, that she did not even give Quinn the chance to explain herself. Rachel cursed her pregnancy hormones.

She began to shuffle through a stack of books. There was nothing she could do about it until she saw Quinn again so she needed to focus on the task at hand. She found what she was looking for and quickly flipped through to find the page she was looking for. She was reading of the lyrics of Hello when the book was pushed down from the front of her face by a mysterious hand so that she was face to face with a rather handsome boy, "Lionel Richie huh? One of my favorites."

Rachel did not even have time to think of the validity of Lionel Richie being a high school student's favorite artist, "Oh my god, you're Jessie St. James. You're the lead singer in Vocal Adrenaline."

She sounded much more star struck than she had hoped as he continued to smile at her with a disarming grin, "And you are Rachel Berry. I saw you perform at Sectionals. Your rendition of Don't Rain on my Parade was flawed. You totally lack Barbara's emotional depth."

He told her in an unasked for critique. Rachel felt something close to devastation. She completely identified with Barbara Streisand. She had sung her heart out on that stage. Before she could argue he pressed on, "But you are talented."

Rachel felt the thrill of excitement as he called her talented. It was quite the compliment coming from a practically seasoned veteran of the stage with so many accomplishments. He took the Lionel Richie from her hands and began to walk away, "This is one of my favorite haunts. I like to come flip through the celebrity biographies and get life style tips."

Rachel was given no choice but to follow as he talked about himself, "I am a senior now so this is sort of like my victory lap. Snagging a fourth consecutive national championship would just be gravy."

They arrived at the piano where Jessie set the music book down, "I am getting out of Ohio soon. I got a full ride to a little school called University of California Los Angles. Maybe you have heard of it. It is in Los Angles."

Rachel nodded speechless. Not only had she heard of it but also it was her number two choice of colleges to attend right behind Julliard. To receive a full ride scholarship was very impressive. Jessie still dominated the conversation, "What do you say we taken her for a spin?"

He sat at the piano gesturing for Rachel to join him.

"Here?" Rachel did not think she could perform with someone of such high caliber, "I am kind of nervous."

"I remember when I used to get nervous." Jessie said nostalgically. "Come on, I do this all the time. I like to give impromptu concerts for the homeless. It is so important to give back."

Rachel nodded with admiration. It was so important to give back. Jessie began to play the piano, "I have been alone with you inside my mind. And in my dreams I've kissed your lips a thousand times. I sometimes see you pass outside my door. Hello? Is it me you're looking for?"

Rachel had to acknowledge that he was very good. His voice was smooth and alluring. She concentrated on the lyrics to join him; "I can see it in your eyes. I can see it in your smile. You're all I've ever wanted. And my arms are open wide."

Their voices meddled together perfectly. She had thought that her and Finn had sounded good together but that was nothing compared to her duet with Jessie. That had never sung together before and around knew how to compliment the others voice. She got more and more comfortable as the song went on, eventually sitting down with him at the piano. If they performed on the same team, they would be unstoppable. It seemed that she had met her match Rachel thought when the song ended. The other occupants in the library politely applauded and Jessie turned to her, "We should do this more often. How about Friday?"

Rachel suddenly realized how close they were and Jessie's hand had inched its way over to her thigh. Instantly she pulled away with her stomach churning sickeningly. All at once, it felt as though she were cheating on Quinn by being in the same vicinity as the dashing boy. She had just sung a love song with him but it had just been for the music. Her interest in Jessie did not go beyond friendly professionalism.

"I am sorry. Thanks for the offer but I am seeing someone." Rachel declined his offer. Jessie looked shocked at her refusal for a moment before covering it up with an understanding smile.

"I see. That is unfortunate but perhaps just a friendship then. I think that you could benefit from having me as a tutor." Jessie offered.

"Wow, really? You would tutor me?" Rachel was getting starry-eyed again.

"Yeah, I see you as a diamond in the rough." Jessie smirked, "A few weeks with me and you might have a chance at Sectionals."

/

Rachel waited anxiously on stage for Quinn to arrive. She had received a note in her locker from her girlfriend instructing her to meet up in the auditorium at lunch. Rachel had spent the first half of the day looking for the blonde who was inexplicably missing. Quinn proved to be very elusive though forcing Rachel to wait to see her until now. Or she would see her if Quinn had been there on time. Rachel huffed. She did not tolerate tardiness.

Rachel was startled when the lights dimmed and the spotlight clicked on. She was about to reach for her rape whistle when music began to play over the speakers. Rachel could not see Quinn yet but she heard her voice float from the back of the theater, "I'm not a perfect person. There's many things I wish I didn't do."

Rachel's heart fluttered as her eyes adjusted to the new lighting. She saw Quinn's blonde hair flashing down the aisle, "But I continue learning, I never meant to do those things to you. And so I have to say before I go, that I just want you to know."

Instead of going directly to the stage, she veered left walking through the seats. Suddenly the spotlight swung around and landed on Quinn so Rachel could see her perfectly, her pale hands gripping the backs of the chairs as she stopped and sang out, "I've found a reason for me, to change who I used to be. A reason to start over new, and the reason is you."

Quinn started moving again with the light following her, "I'm sorry that I hurt you. It's something I must live with everyday."

Rachel's felt her eyes shining happily as Quinn's words rang true. This was about more than that small argument they had in the hallway. She knew that the blonde still felt awful about how she had treated Rachel no matter how many times she told her it was all right. The brunette's heart swelled with love as she listened, "And all the pain I put you through, I wish that I could take it all away. And be the one who catches all your tears. That is why I need you to hear."

Rachel wished that Quinn would make it to the stage already but the blonde stood on the arm rests in the front row and sang, "I've found a reason for me, to change who I used to be. A reason to start over new, and the reason is you."

"And the reason is you. And the reason is you." Quinn hopped down and rushed up the stairs, "And the reason is you. And the reason is you."

Quinn slowly began to walk across the stage to Rachel, "I'm not a perfect person. I never meant to do those things to you. And so I have to say before I go, that I just want you to know."

Quinn belted as she finally came face to face with Rachel, "I've found a reason for me, to change who I used to be. A reason to start over new, and the reason is you."

The cheerleader picked up her girlfriend's hands into her own, "I've found a reason to show, a side of me you didn't know. A reason for all that I do."

Quinn finished quietly, "And the reason is you."

Rachel did not even realize that she tears rolling down her cheeks until Quinn gingerly wiped them away. Before the diva could gather her thoughts Quinn spoke, "Rachel, I am sorry that I upset you but I just need you to hear me out."

"No Quinn, I am sorry." Rachel began.

"Just let me get this out, okay?" Quinn stopped her.

The diva nodded wordless urging her to continue. Quinn took a deep breath, "You were right about me being afraid. I am scared that dating you will hurt my reputation. But Rachel, you will always mean more to me than that. And if it were just my reputation at stake, I would proudly declare you as my girlfriend throughout McKinley. But it is not that simple."

Rachel cocked her head to the side curiously wondering what the blonde was talking about, "Rach, I grew up in a home filled with hate. If my parents found out, they would burn me like a witch."

The diva nearly gasped. She did not even stop to consider Quinn's up bringing, "My parents never encouraged me to be who I was, who I wanted to be. They told me I had to be the good Christian girl who marries the good Christian boy. They forced me into this cage where I hated people who were different than me."

"And then when I realized I was gay, something I had been told was sinful and disgusting since I was 5. I started to hate myself." Quinn whimpered. Rachel quickly wrapped her arms around her crying girlfriend, making soothing sounds as she rubbed her back. Quinn clung onto the small frame in front of her, "So I pushed my feelings down and became the girl my parents wanted, full of hate and spite. They were so proud when I joined the Cheerios that I became the uniform. For a while, I did not know who I was without it."

"Quinn, I am so sorry you had to go through that." Rachel whispered into her shoulder.

"It was hard but you know what changed me?" Quinn pulled away slightly to look into Rachel's eyes, "You. I would see you every day being you, unapologetic, not caring what others thought you. Until finally, I realized that I could do it too."

"I meant it Rachel, when I said I like who I am with you. And someday I want to be able to walk down the street holding your hand without fear. But it can not be today." Quinn said sadly. "I know you deserve better than a coward but for now it is all I can give you."

"Quinn, I don't think you realize how brave you are." Rachel said in wonder of her girlfriend, "You have already overcome so much. I am so proud of you."

She caressed Quinn's pale cheek, "Just having you is enough for me. I am sorry I jumped to conclusions. I will wait for you to be ready to share us with the world."

The taller girl sighed in relief, "Thank you."

Rachel rested her forehead against Quinn's, "Besides, I can appreciate the drama that come with a clandestine relationship."

Quinn laughed at Rachel's joke, "Well then, how about we schedule a secret rendezvous this Friday night. I noticed you were free that night of the kitty calendar."

"I would but something has come up." Rachel became wary. She did not know how well Quinn would respond to this.

"Oh?" Quinn sensed her mood change.

"I met a new friend," Rachel eased into it, "at the music library yesterday."

Quinn stiffened but remained calm, "Do I know her?"

"No," Rachel braced herself, "Actually he goes to a different school. Jessie St. James?"

"As in Vocal Adrenaline Jessie St. James?" Quinn said through gritted teeth.

"Yes." Rachel squeaked out. She knew that the blonde would respond like this. Her girlfriend tended to be over protective to say the least. Quinn pulled away completely as she became agitated.

"Baby, don't you think it is a tad bit suspicious that we win Sectionals and our competition happens to befriend you?" Quinn asked clearly trying to contain her anger.

"Why?" Rachel demanded, "Is it so hard to believe someone likes me without any ulterior motives?"

Quinn deflated, "That is not what I meant."

"He even offered to help me with my performance." Rachel informed her.

Quinn sighed not willing to put up a fight about this after they had just made up, "You don't need any help Rachel. You are flawless."

"But Jessie is a senior. He can give me individual attention that Mr. Schuester cannot." Rachel argued.

"I just don't want to see you get hurt Rach." Quinn ran her thumb over Rachel's knuckles.

"I know that I will not." Rachel said, "Because I am with you."

Quinn smiled. Rachel knew she had won, "Great. You can come over after I hang out with Jessie. Now we should get out of here. Lunch is almost over."

"Great." Quinn said feigning enthusiasm. She followed her bubbling girlfriend off stage as she tried to get rid of the ominous feeling looming overhead.

**Dun, dun, duuuun. Quick chapter introducing Jessie into the plot. Some Quinn angst, hope that turned out all right. Quinn serenading Rachel with The Reason by Hoobstank. Stay tuned.**


	13. Chapter 13

**The Power of Madonna episode. One of my favorites so let's hope I do it some justice. Of course I am completely uninterested in the teacher plot line. Mr. Schuester sucks haha. But there is a small flashback in italics, just in case that is confusing. But I really like this chapter. Some stuff actually goes down!**

**I appreciate your encouraging words. Enjoy!**

/

The girls of Glee all sat around in the choir room before school started. Santana and Brittany were blatantly flirting with each other while Mercedes and Tina discussed who their celebrity husband would be. Quinn was not paying attention because she was too busy drawing hearts around Rachel's name. The diva had quietly been sitting in the back when she stood up drawing everyone's attention, "Can I ask you guys something personal?"

"Yes, you should move to Israel." Santana quipped. Quinn tried to glare at her best friend but ended up smirking. She knew that Santana was joking and it had been a little funny.

Rachel ignored the playful barb, "It is about boys."

Quinn's head shot up. Why would she need to know about boys? If it were Jessie, she would kill him. Rachel realized from Quinn's abrupt reaction how it had sounded and quickly corrected herself, "Not that I am dating anyone. It is just Noah. I was trying to get him involved in the birthing process and he said it was gross and women's stuff. Then I think he asked me to make him a sandwich."

Rachel sounded dubious. It looked like Quinn was going to have a serious conversation with Puck later. Rachel tried to justify herself, "I mean it is his fault we are in this predicament. I mean I might have said no, if he had not gotten all cranky. How do you stop them from doing that?"

"Well, you should do what I do," Santana said expertly, "Never say no."

Brittany agreed, "Totally. I mean, what is the worst that can happen. Sorry Rachel."

The forgetful cheerleader apologized when she remembered the state that the tiny diva was in. Mercedes chipped in, "Look girl, don't ask me. The last guy I liked was the mayor of gay town. But personally, I cannot wait to get a guy mad at me for saying no."

"We just have to accept the fact that guys do not care about our feelings." Tina shrugged, "Take Artie. He said that if we were to continue to be an item I needed to make so changes. He said that the gothic look was two years ago. I needed lose the vampire make up and start to wear tighter clothes."

"That's got to sting." Rachel said sympathetically.

"Sorry girls. I don't mean to interrupt your little sorority but I could not help but overhear. Are you really having that much boy trouble?" Mr. Schuester had slipped into the room unnoticed and was now concerned about the conversation that they were having.

"You would not understand Mr. Schue. You are a guy." Quinn shook her head at their Spanish teacher. He was the last person she would take relationship advice from. She knew not all men were chauvinistic pigs but this was just one of the reasons that she liked to date women. Hers and Rachel's relationship was based off of mutual respect and honestly caring for one another. She had not dated a single guy that did not want her for her popularity or what was under her Cheerio's skirt.

"Maybe you should talk to someone else about it like Ms. Pilsbury." Mr. Schuester recommended.

"I tried that." Rachel told him, "She ended up a stuttering mess when I brought up the sex part and made me leave her office with a bad full of condoms."

With that the bell rang signifying that it was time to leave. They stood heavily on their feet, gathering their books to begin the day. Quinn decided she needed to drop some knowledge on the clueless teacher, "The fact is that women still earn 70 cents to every dollar a man makes for doing the same job. That attitude starts in high school."

/

Mr. Schuester entered the choir room with all of the students already seated. He grabbed a marker and wrote Madonna on the white broad. The director addressed them, "What comes to mind when you see that name?"

"Genius." Rachel said instantly. She did not just look to Broadway for strong female role models. Every Wednesday the Berry family hosted a Madonna themed karaoke night.

"Icon." Kurt said excitedly.

"Hall of Fame MILF." Puck leered. Rachel at him wounded considering she was about to mother his child.

"So we are all aware of Madonna's musical and cultural, which is why for this weeks assignment I would you to come up with a Madonna number." Mr. Schue smiled as she saw the girls' faces light up.

Through their celebration Puck spoke up, "Mr. Schue, as a dude, Madonna makes me kind of uncomfortable."

"Yeah," Finn looked worried, "She is smoking and everything but can't some of us do something else. Like the guy version of Madonna, like Pantera."

Artie nodded along but Mr. Schuester looked disappointed in them, "Guys, it has come to my attention that some of you have not been treating the ladies of the group very nicely."

The girls look accusingly at the discomfited boys as he talked, "You are disrespectful, bullying, sexist and, I hate to say it, misogynistic."

"I don't know what that means." Finn blinked in confusion. Rachel could not bring herself to be surprised.

"When I pulled my ham string, I went to a misogynist." Brittany said trying to be helpful.

"What it means is, put yourself in their shoes for a little bit." The teacher lectured, "Culturally Madonna's legacy transcends her music because by and larger her subtext behind the songs are about being strong. Independent and confident no matter what your sex."

All the girls and Kurt nodded in agreement, "But more than anything, Madonna's musical message is about equality and that is something you guys need to work on."

The boys all looked like they were about to wet themselves while Kurt discussed doing a project with Mr. Schuester. The curly-haired man encouraged him but Puck was still refusing to give in, "I am still not down. And no chick intimidates Puckzilla."

He glared threateningly at Quinn but she did not appear impressed, "I just don't think her music translates to show choir."

"Really?" Rachel raised an eyebrow. She had been studying the stage and show choir since she could walk. There was no way that he knew more than her, "Well I for one could not disagree more."

She stood up with every intention of showing up Puck and his Mohawk. Whispering in the bands ear she turned to the Glee Club with her hands firmly placed on her little hips, "Come on girls! Do you believe in love? Cause I've got something to say about it. And it goes something like this."

All of the girls jumped up to join Rachel as they began to work out a new number to Express Yourself. By the end of rehearsal, they had the boys' mouths hanging open and Mr. Schuester applauding enthusiastically.

/

"Glee Club was really fun today." Quinn smiled at Rachel who was still singing Madonna quietly in the car on the way home.

"It really was. Since when has Mr. Schuester had such insight?" Rachel wondered.

Quinn laughed, "I think he looked that stuff up on Wikipedia."

"That would not surprise me." Rachel tittered.

"I am just glad that Mr. Schue actually recognized the boys had a problem." Quinn had yet to put the fear of God in Puck but she would fix that. If he wanted to be involved in the baby's life, then he was going to have to be fully devoted.

"You know, Jessie is not like the other boys." Rachel said, "He is so respectful."

Quinn held back her anger when she heard his name. The Vocal Adrenaline star had been hanging out with Rachel for over a week now and the tiny diva could not seem to stop saying his name. Jessie has won 16 awards. Jessie told me I have talent. Jessie volunteers with the homeless. Jessie is so perfect. It was driving her mad. He already spent so much time with Rachel with and now the bastard was slowly leaking into her time too.

"Jessie told me-" Rachel began.

"Can we not talk about Jessie St. James for a moment?" Quinn could barely contain her jealous growl. Rachel looked at her surprised then flushed embarrassed.

"Sorry," Rachel mumbled recognizing the fact that she was rather enamored with him, "I really appreciate your support."

Quinn nodded silently. When the others had found out that Rachel was friends with the enemy, all hell had broken loose. She remembered back to the other day.

_Quinn and Rachel were laughing as they walked into the choir room only to immediately be confronted by Mercedes, Kurt, Artie and Tina. Rachel was the first to note their dour demeanor, "Hey guys."_

_Rachel chirped unsure of what was going on. Kurt got right to business, "Cut the butter Benedict Arnold. We heard about your knew boyfriend."_

_Rachel looked confused because she definitely did not have a boyfriend. Before she could figure it out, Mercedes butted in, "Look Rachel, we are all happy that you are happy but we have all worked too in Glee club for you to jeopardize it on a relationship that might not even be real."_

"_You guys, Jessie and I are not involved in a romantic relationship. We simply respect each as artists. In fact, Jessie wants to help me flourish as a performer. It does not matter that he is in Vocal Adrenaline." Rachel tried to correct them._

_Kurt stood up, "Their motto in Latin roughly translates into Murder of be Murdered."_

_Tina said earnestly, "They give their dancers human growth hormones."_

"_We are not saying the dude is playing you." Mercedes said._

"_He is playing you." Kurt interjected._

"_But we think until after Regional's we cannot risk the possibility that he is." Mercedes finished._

"_None of us want to go through what happened at Sectionals again." Tina laid on the guilt trip._

"_You guys, are throwing this out of proportion. I can really learn from him." Rachel was hurt that her friend's did not trust her, "Look, I do not have a lot of friends. I am not the easiest to get along with and Jessie is genuinely interested in me."_

"_You have to stop see him or you are out." Kurt was unaffected by her plea._

"_You can't kick me out." Rachel was aghast._

_Artie folded his arms, "But we can all quit if Mr. Schue doesn't."_

"_Well, good luck winning without me." Rachel was grasping at straws._

"_Everyone is replaceable even you." Kurt said looking bored._

_At that point Quinn snapped. She had been willing to let Rachel work it out with their teammates but it seemed like this situation was going to need a little bit of her authority, "How could you do this to your friend? Rachel is asking you to trust her and you are treating her like dirt."_

_Rachel looked surprised when Quinn came to her defense. Mercedes scowled, "How could she do this to us? We are supposed to be a team. Is that still true or would she rather join Vocal Adrenaline?"_

"_Here is how this is going to go," Quinn bared down of the curvy black girl, "If Rachel is gone, then consider me and probably Puck gone too. Brittany and Santana might stay but I kind of doubt it. Good luck trying to replace five people with your impotent quarterback because not even Jewfro will want to join with Rachel gone."_

_The four teenagers were stunned silent as the head cheerleader laid down the law, "So I will give you sometime to think that over. See you at rehearsal."_

Quinn had led Rachel out of the room. They skipped lunch where Rachel gave her a big thank you in the janitor's closet. After their erotic make out session, Rachel had blushed and told her that no had ever stood up for her before. Quinn wanted to make that Rachel knew as her girlfriend she would support her through anything but that did not mean she wanted to hear her talk about Jessie St. James 24/7.

"You know," Rachel began cautiously, "Maybe if you met him, got to know him, then who knows. You could become friends."

Quinn groaned internally. Spending time with St. Douche-bag was very low on her list of things she wanted to do, right under a root canal and physical torture from Sue Sylvester. But she knew that she had to try for her girlfriend.

"Sure." The blonde forced out, "We can have dinner at Breadsticks this Friday."

"Really?" Rachel sounded shocked and thrilled at the same time.

"Of course. If you like him, then he must be a good guy." Quinn felt like she was gagging on her words.

"You do not believe that." Rachel squinted her eyes.

Quinn laughed, "Not at all but I am willing to try for you."

"Oh thank you Quinn!" Rachel tried her best to hug her girlfriend as they sat in the car. Quinn smiled. She was just glad to see the diva happy even at great personal sacrifice.

"You can make it up to me by helping me study for anatomy." Quinn smirked.

"You are not taking anatomy." Rachel said perplexed.

"Exactly." Quinn's smirk deepened.

"Quinn Fabray!" Quinn sounded scandalized as her face turned pink when she got the innuendo. The head cheerleader just laughed.

/

Friday arrived all too fast for Quinn. She sighed as she rang the Berry's doorbell promptly at 5:45 as per Rachel's orders. They door opened revealing Hiram with a big, warm smile that immediately fell from his face upon seeing Quinn, "Oh, what are you doing here?"

"I am picking up Rachel." She said ignoring the rather rude question. Leroy had warmed up to her quite well by now but Rachel's shorter father was not relenting no matter how often she came around.

"Actually, she is going out with Jessie tonight." Hiram corrected her. She could feel his strong approval of Jessie as anger grew in her chest. The blonde was about ready to bite back but fortunately Leroy took that opportunity to intercept any further interaction, "Quinn what a pleasant surprise. What brings you over?"

Quinn was relieved to see the tall black man that let her into the foyer. She smiled gratefully; "Rach and I are going out to dinner with a friend."

She could not bring herself to say his name. Leroy was not as sensitive though, "Oh you know Jessie as well? He is such a sweet boy."

It looks like the boy had all of the Berry's fooled. Quinn tried to contain her grimace, "Actually this is the first time I am meeting him. Rachel has said a lot of great things."

"Quinn, sorry I am running late." Rachel was bustling down the stairs. The blonde felt a thrill of excitement despite the circumstance when she realized that Rachel was wearing her white, loose fitting cardigan over top her normal clothing. She had let the brunette borrow it one day when she was cold at school and was now integrated into Rachel regular wardrobe.

"I will be home at 11:30." Rachel promised her fathers as she gave them each a peck on the cheek. She grabbed Quinn's pale hand and they were out the door before she realized.

"Sorry, it took me longer to get ready than expected." Rachel explained, "It is getting harder to hide the baby bump."

Rachel was all the way to the car when she noticed Quinn was not there with her. She turned to see Quinn still on the steps her mouth set in a hard line. Rachel gulped, "Quinn, what is the matter?"

"Why did your fathers think that you were only going out with Jessie tonight?" Quinn asked hollowly.

"I-" Rachel stopped short and she looked down uncomfortably.

"I want you to be honest with me Rachel." Quinn came off the stairs and stood in front of her girlfriend.

"I have never had to lie to my parents before." Rachel quiet voice was clear in the cold night air, "But Papa, he just does not understand. He still thinks that you are the bad guy… It was just easier to say I was going to dinner with Jessie."

"I don't want you to lie to your dads." Quinn rubbed her arm, "You can tell them about us."

"I know I could but," Rachel sniffled, "Since I found out I am pregnant, I cannot seem to stop lying. It is like they already don't know so much, what is one more thing?"

Quinn began to feel bad for her girl. She knew that Rachel prided herself on her honestly. Her relationship with her fathers was definitely an extension of that. The Berry home was full of open communication and sharing their feelings. Rachel's secret from her father's was eating away at her but she was still more afraid of their reaction to the truth, "Baby, you cannot keep this on your shoulders forever. You can tell them when you are ready but I know when you do you will feel better."

Rachel nodded as Quinn pulled her in for a loving hug. Rachel spoke into her shoulder, "I am sorry about the Jessie thing. I will not do it again."

"It is alright." Quinn understood, "Let's just get to dinner."

The head cheerleader drove quickly but they still arrived at the restaurant four minutes late much to Rachel's horror. When the couple went in, Jessie was already seated at a booth with his show face on. Rachel slide in first as she apologized, "We are so sorry for our tardiness Jessie."

Quinn sat down next to her as she eyed the boy critically. He did not seem to notice, "That is quite alright. And you must be Quinn."

He extended his hand for her to shake. She took the offered appendage squeezing it perhaps a bit too firmly, "And you must be Jessie."

"I am." He tossed about his perfectly coiffed hair. Quinn felt bile rising in her throat but she coved it with a sweet smile, "Rach, has told me so many great things about you."

"Like wise. I can hardly believe I am meeting the famous Quinn Fabray." Jessie chortled.

Awkward silence prevailed after that as the teenagers turned their attention to their menus, politely discussing what they were going to order. Quinn thought that they might be able to get through dinner without her having any suicidal thoughts but she was wrong when Jessie began to start in on his favorite topic: Jessie. The blonde did not think the evening could get any worse then the rocky start that she and Rachel had but she was corrected. Quinn had to painfully listen to Jessie discuss his entire musically career from the time he was six through dinner. Then for dessert he accounted his phony charity work that included passing out signed headshots of him and singing to the drunk homeless man that lived outside of the Chinese restaurant.

"Then he told me I looked like John Stamos." She caught the end of one of his stories. Jessie was really laying on the charm as Rachel laughed lightly. Quinn managed a strained smile but she was not falling for his lies. She knew guys like Jessie and she could see it from a mile away that he was trying desperately to win over Rachel.

"So Quinn, how do you like Glee Club? I know you do not have a background in musical theater." Jessie asked her. She was surprised that he even knew she was still here.

She managed to pull herself out of her thoughts and answer coherently, "I love Glee Club. It is really great to be a part of such a diverse team. And seeing Rachel perform everyday is a real treat."

"Thank you Quinn." They exchanged adoring smiles. The one saving grace of the evening was Rachel as they secretly held hands under the table. It kept her calm.

"That is sweet. I am sure that is how my teammates feel about me." Jessie said assured. Quinn could not stop the smile from dropping off her face. In her peripheral she even saw Rachel cringe at how shallow it sounded. The male diva did not seem to notice as he hailed the waitress for their check.

"Excuse me, I must use the ladies room." Rachel said as Quinn let her out of the booth, "I will be right back."

Quinn sat alone with Jessie and his fake smile for a moment. He filled the silence, "So Rachel is a really great girl."

Quinn briefly toyed with the idea of playing along but she had enough. Now that Rachel was gone, she was going to give him a piece of her mind, "Listen St. James, I know what game you are playing and it is not going to work. You may have Rachel fooled with your good guy act but I can see right through you. Rachel will never be yours."

The boy across the table way initially surprised but a sinister smile settled on his face, "Why? Because she is yours?"

Quinn faltered. Rachel told Jessie about them. Did she not realize how detrimental that could be? Jessie chuckled, "No, Rachel did not tell me."

She looked up sharply at him making him laugh harder, "You are more transparent than you think Fabray. I can see the panic in your eyes that I know your secret. Plus you two have been playing footsies all night. I can practically smell the pheromones."

"Look, I am telling you. Back off my girl." Quinn growled.

"No." Jessie said simply.

"I will tell her you little scheme and she will believe me." Quinn threatened.

Jessie scolded, "You are willing to sacrifice Rachel's only friend for your benefit. You are not as selfless as I though Quinn. Besides, I wonder what Mommy and Daddy Fabray have to say about your new girlfriend. Do you think they will send you to a brainwash camp or just disown you immediately."

Quinn's hear sank. Her opponent was proving to be much more formidable than she had expected, "You wouldn't."

"I won't tell if you won't." Jessie sing-songed.

Quinn gritted her teeth, "You think you've won St. Asshole but you will make a mistake. You will reveal yourself and Rachel will see the fraud that you are."

"We will see about that." He said smugly.

"I will stop you from hurting Rachel." She hissed as she saw Rachel emerge from the bathroom.

"I am not stopping until I have Rachel Berry on my arm." He leaned forward to whisper to her.

"What did I miss?" Rachel smiled cheerfully.

"Nothing at all." Quinn allowed Rachel back into her seat, while Jessie's face had rearranged itself into that idiotic smile of his.

/

Jessie may have ruled the evening Friday night but Quinn was the one who got Saturday she thought happily as she ascended the Berry's porch. She had been able to convince Rachel to go bowling with her again. Secretly, the blonde thought of that first night bowling as their first date, and wanted to take this opportunity to remind Rachel of their memorable evening. Quinn had spent all night yesterday worrying about how she was going to handle Jessie St. James. The normally fearsome cheerleader felt so powerless. She needed to bid her time and annihilate the giant tool when the moment was right. She just did not know how to do that just yet. Quinn rang the bell much like the night before and much to her relief Leroy answered the door this time.

"Quinn back so soon?" the tall man joked.

"You know I can't get enough of that Berry charisma." Quinn wiped her feet on the mat before stepping inside.

"Well that charisma is still getting ready." He chuckled, "You are welcome to head on up."

"Thanks Mr. Berry." Quinn smiled and took him up on his offer.

"For the hundredth time Quinn, Mr. Berry is my father. Please call me Leroy." He called after her as she threw a cheeky grin behind her.

"Rach?" Quinn knocked on her girlfriend's bedroom door and got no response.

"Rachel?" Quinn called again but this time she heard a pathetic sob come from the other side. At this point the blonde busted into her Rachel's room, "Baby what is it?"

"Don't, don't l-look at me. I- I'm so… ugly." Rachel stood in the middle of her room with her back to Quinn. She was only wearing a pair of tight, dark wash jeans that were normally reserved for Glee performances and a black bra.

"Rachel what?" Quinn had barely heard a word she had said. She was too distracted by all of the skin that Rachel was showing. The blonde's eyes greedily took in the sight of her shirtless girlfriend. Her smooth, tanned skin was unblemished. She could not even tell that Rachel was pregnant from behind with her elegantly sculpted back. Quinn put all of her effort into not drooling.

"I can't fit. I don't fit into my jeans! I can't fit into anything." Rachel turned around to show Quinn that the garment would simply not button around Rachel's expanding stomach. At nearly six months Rachel had started to show. It was almost as if she had grown over night. Her stomach was rounded now and began to protrude more from her body as a promise of more to come. Quinn was finally able to drag he eyes up from Rachel's body to her red, teary eyes. Quinn pushed aside all inappropriate thoughts.

"Rachel Berry how could you say that? You are carrying a child. That is the most beautiful in the whole world." Quinn approached the petite diva and place a hand on her stomach. She loved to feel for any signs of the baby.

"But I am fat." Rachel whined, "You aren't fat."

"Baby, you are not fat. You are the most beautiful thing I have ever laid my eyes on." Quinn cooed. Rachel crossed her arms and pouted still not persuade.

Quinn smiled at how adorable she was and decided to speak to Rachel the best way she knew how, through singing. Pulling out her Ipod she scrolled through until she found the perfect song. She hit play and a delicate melody played through the speakers, "You're having my baby. What a lovely way of saying how much you love me."

Quinn could see Rachel's lip twitch as she spun her around, "You're having my baby. What a lovely way of saying what you're thinking of me. I can see it, your face is glowing, I can see it in your eyes, I'm happy you know it! That you're having my baby."

Rachel was now smiling fully her arms came to rest around Quinn's shoulders while Quinn held her close as they swayed about the room, "You're the woman that I love and I love what it's doing to you. You're having my baby. You're a woman in love and I love what is going through you. The need inside you, I see it showing. The seed inside you baby, do you feel it growing? Are you happy to know it? That you're having my baby."

Quinn spun her around again except this time she did not pull her back in. Instead she knelt in front of the tiny brunette, "You're the woman that I love and I love what it is doing to you. You're having my baby. You're a woman in love and I love what is going through you. You didn't have to keep it. Wouldn't put you through it. You could have swept it from your life, but you wouldn't do it. No you wouldn't do it."

Quinn pressed a gentle kiss to Rachel's stomach. Now Rachel sang to Quinn, "And I'm having your baby. You're the woman that I love and I love what it is doing to you. I'm having your baby. I am a woman in love and I love what is going through me."

"You're having my baby," Quinn sang out, "You're the woman that I love and I love what it is doing to you."

"And I'm having your baby," Rachel crooned, lovingly touching Quinn's hair, "I am a woman in love and I love what's going through me."

"You're having my baby." Quinn finished gazing adoringly at the brunette. Quinn stayed kneeling on the ground in front of Rachel, her hand placed on Rachel's stomach when she felt a gentle thump from within. Quinn gasped and looked up at Rachel who looked equally as shocked.

"The baby, she kicked." Rachel nearly squealed. Quinn could only smile as Rachel began to get excited, "She knows your voice!"

The baby moved again and Quinn's body tingled happily as the life inside Rachel shifted. Quinn looked into Rachel's eyes from her position on the floor, "Rachel, I do love you. And I know that she is not really my baby but I want to be there for the both of you."

"I love you too Quinn." She threaded her fingers through her silky, blonde hair. "The baby will grow up with you as a parent too, if you want that."

The brilliant smile on Quinn's face was sure to chase away all of Rachel's doubts. Quinn caressed Rachel stomach that was still fluttering, "I love you little girl."

"What is going on here?" an angry voice suddenly ripped through their moment.

"Papa!" Rachel jumped behind Quinn to shield her lack of clothing while Quinn instantly rose to her feet. The short man with glasses looked between Rachel and Quinn who said nothing as he tried to piece together what was going on. He had found his daughter, pants undone and only in a bra with her Quinn kneeling before her. However, it did not seem sexual the way Quinn only touched his daughter's rounded stomach. And did he hear the blonde say 'I love you little girl?

The room was ripe with tension as the three looked at each other. He snapped again, "What the hell is going on here? Rachel, are you-?"

"Papa I…" Rachel's eyes brimmed with tears but she was unable to finish her sentence.

"Are you pregnant?" Rachel's father was now yelling.

"Hiram? What are you yelling about?" Leroy suddenly appeared.

"Ask your daughter." Hiram glowered at the pair.

"Rachel?" Leroy inquired.

"Daddy, I- I…" Rachel was crying too hard at this point.

"It will be okay Rach." Quinn slipped off her sweater and put it around Rachel.

"Are you pregnant?" Hiram asked again this time a bit calmer. Leroy turned to their daughter shocked as they waited for an answer.

"Yes." Rachel's voice wavered through the tears.

The room was stunned with silence. Both Rachel's fathers looked on in disbelief. Until Hiram spoke, "How could you be so stupid?"

"Hiram!" Leroy admonished.

"No, how could you let yourself get pregnant? Do you know how this could ruin your life?" Hiram yelled.

"I didn't mean to. I don't know. I am so sorry." Rachel cried into Quinn's chest.

"How long? How far along are you?" Leroy asked softly.

"Six months." Rachel said.

"Six months! You have been pregnant for six months and you have not even told us!" Hiram roared and Rachel whimpered. Quinn now glared at the short man, not caring that he was Rachel's father. He was upsetting her.

"Who is the father?" Leroy remained the calm one in the situation.

"Noah Puckerman, from synagogue." Rachel mumbled.

"That hooligan with a Mohawk?" Hiram barked.

"He is a nice boy Papa." Rachel defended him. Quinn agreed. While Puck did have delinquent tendencies, he also had a good heart.

"Rachel, why did you not tell us? You need to go to the doctor to make sure that baby is alright." Leroy said not commenting on the paternity.

"I have been going to the doctors." Rachel wiped her eyes.

"How have you been paying for it?" Hiram asked curiously.

"Puck and Quinn have been helping me." Rachel glanced at her girlfriend who remained by her side the whole time.

Both men looked at the stoic blonde mildly astonished. Hiram said formally, "We will reimburse you for that Quinn."

"That is not necessary-" Quinn started.

Hiram snapped, "Yes it is. Rachel is our daughter. We will take care of this from here. I would appreciate it, if you would leave now."

"No." Quinn's head bitch in charge demeanor was in full swing.

"This is not your business." Hiram bristled.

"I think my girlfriend is my business." Quinn shot back.

"Girlfriend?" Leroy had carefully been watching the two girls. The way that Rachel gripped Quinn's hand, the way Quinn looked at Rachel, it all pointed to something more than friends.

Rachel stepped in front of Quinn in attempts to calm her down, "Yes. Daddy, Papa, Quinn and I are dating."

"What about Jessie?" Hiram blurted out. Quinn audibly growled.

Rachel scoffed, "Papa, we are just friends. We were never more than anything else. That was just your wishful thinking."

"So what? You think you two are going to have this baby, move to a hip suburb in New York, and live happily ever after?" Hiram asked cynically.

"We know that it is not that simple but we are willing to give it a shot." Rachel looked pleadingly at her father to understand.

"No." He refused, "You are my daughter and I will decide what is best for you. You are too young to make this kind of decision."

"And what exactly do you think is best?" Quinn challenged.

"There are a lot of options." He glared at the blonde, "Adoption-"

"No!" Rachel cried before he could continue.

"Rachel, a baby could ruin your future. I just want what is best for you." Hiram tried to reason.

"Maybe what is best for her is not the thing that will make her happy." Quinn slipped her arm around Rachel's waist.

Rachel relaxed slightly in her girlfriend's arms, "Papa, please. I could not live with myself if I had to give her up."

"What about college? Julliard? What about your dreams?" Hiram asked as if to remind her.

"I am not giving them up. I am only a sophomore. I have time to figure it out." Rachel shook her head.

"Leroy, please talk some sense into her." Hiram implored his husband. The tall, black man not been able to take his eyes off Rachel. The look was not angry or disappointed, just sad. He was sad for his little girl who she had to face this tough choice. As much as he wanted to protect her from this he knew that she had to be the one to decide.

"Rachel, come here." Leroy said gently like he used to call her to him when she was a child. The diva looked much younger dwarfed by her large father and Quinn's too big sweater. He stroked her hair, "Will it make you happy to keep this baby?"

"Yes Daddy." Rachel's eyes shined with tears.

"Then that is it." He sighed.

"Thank you." Her father hugged her tightly.

"No," Hiram objected, "she is too young."

"Since when has Rachel been too young for anything?" Leroy asked, "She has been more mature than me since she was 11."

"This is a mistake." Hiram argued.

"It is what will make Rachel happy." Leroy shrugged. Unable to win, Hiram stormed from Rachel's bedroom.

"Papa." Rachel tried but he would not hear her.

"He is upset." Leroy comforted her, "He needs time to adjust and as long as he is adjust he can sleep on the couch."

"Why the couch?" Rachel asked, not sure why her Daddy was upset with Papa.

"Because we promised each other to accept you no matter what and your Papa has broke that promise to me." Leroy explained, "Admittedly, it is a lot to take in but don't you worry. He will come to his senses."

"Thank you Daddy." Rachel hugged him again.

"I love you baby girl." He kissed the top of her head, "I think it is time for Quinn to say goodnight though."

Rachel pouted but nodded as her father left the room to let them say goodbye. Quinn looked concerned at her girlfriend, "Are you alright?"

"I have never seen Papa so angry with me." Rachel shuddered, "But I will be okay."

"He will come around." Quinn pulled the brunette close to her while Rachel burrowed into her neck.

"I hope so." Rachel murmured.

"I know so." Quinn said confidently, "He loves you Rach."

"Thank you for being her Quinn." Rachel held on a little tighter as if Quinn was going to flee.

"I will always be here for you." Quinn kissed her forehead.

"You should go now." Rachel sighed heavily.

"Call me if you need anything." Quinn ordered, "Promise?"

"I promise." Rachel smiled faintly as she leaned up to kiss the blonde.

Quinn pulled away, "I love you baby."

Rachel replied earnestly, "I love you too sweetie."

/

Rachel looked worriedly about the choir room. She had thought that her parents discovering her pregnancy was bad but it seemed like nothing compared to the accusing eyes that shot to her when Jessie entered the choir room with Mr. Schuester, which was followed by an eruption when Mr. Schuester announced that he was joining New Directions.

"It is like everyone is hurting my feelings on purpose." Finn whined. Rachel looked at him incredulously. The Glee club still believed that Rachel and Jessie were romantically involved. Unable to tell them the truth about Quinn, the couple stopped trying to correct the rumor. Finn had been taking it particularly bad, as he seemed to be having second thoughts about breaking up with Rachel in the first place.

Jessie was unaffected by their protests, "I thought that you would take this new a little better. I am a star."

"I already have to fight for solos. With you here, I don't even stand a chance." Kurt lamented.

Mercedes complained, "That is right. And you all just drop me off at the end of every number to wail on the last note. How is that okay?"

"He is a spy Mr. Schue." Santana sneered, "I would know."

"Guys, I have seen the paper work." Mr. Schuester said, "Jessie's parents have moved away and he is living with his uncle in this school district. It is all above the board. He goes to this school."

"It isn't fair." Artie sulked.

"Guys!" The teacher was getting frustrated, "Every person who has tried out has gotten into this club. That is how we do it. To change the rules now, that would be unfair."

Brittany raised her hand. Mr. Schuester tentatively called on her, "Mr. Schue is he your son?"

They did look awfully similar with their curly hair and too much product. It even appeared that they were wearing the same tie. Rachel bit back a laugh and she could hear Quinn quietly snickering. Rachel spoke up, "But why Jessie?"

"Well I thought that to properly take you under my wing, I would need to perform with you." Jessie justified, "Your development as a young ingénue is more important than my fourth national title."

Rachel was impressed with his answer. During their rehearsal time together, she sensed that Jessie was hinting at her joining Vocal Adrenaline. But Rachel never took the bait. She would not dream of abandoning her friends. Her new friend apparently knew of her unyielding allegiance to New Directions and took the initiative to join their rag tag troop. The diva looked to her girlfriend. Quinn was the only one to not reject Jessie's presence but she could see the distrust in her hazel eyes. Rachel was grateful for the dinner that they had to together and she knew that outwardly Quinn was supportive of her friendship. However, she got the feeling that the blonde was waiting for him to mess up, to pull a stunt and ruin New Directions. But there was nothing she could do about it now as Mr. Schuester welcomed Jessie and they were called out of class to a pep rally.

/

Rachel went to her locker after event in the gymnasium that largely showcased the Cheerios talents and surprisingly Kurt and Mercedes. The best friends had apparently joined the cheerleading squad without informing anybody. She waited impatiently for Quinn to join her. The head cheerleader did not keep her waiting long as she came up beside Rachel carrying her duffle bag, looking a bit tried from the rigorous routine.

"Hey," Quinn acted as if nothing out of the ordinary had happened.

"Quinn." Rachel glanced around the hallway and found they were alone. Quinn took the opportunity to kiss Rachel on the cheek.

"Ew," Rachel giggled, "You are all sweaty."

"Sorry." Quinn said sheepishly but gave Rachel another kiss anyways.

"Quinn why did you not mention that Mercedes and Kurt had joined the squad?" Rachel wondered.

"I didn't know until five minutes before we got on." Quinn countered.

"Oh well, you guys looked great up there." Rachel understood the duos desire to shine.

"Did you know Jessie was coming to McKinley?" Quinn asked trying to keep the suspicion out of her voice.

"I found out when everyone else did." Rachel vowed. Their conversation was not reproachful or heated. Just quiet and a little hurt, each thinking the other had been keeping secrets.

"Okay," Quinn sighed, "I just don't want anything to come between us. I want you to still be able to talk to me about things even though I may not like it."

Rachel agreed, "Of course Quinn. I would never keep anything from you."

"I know you wouldn't." Quinn dropped her bag to wrap her arms around Rachel, "I just worry about you, you know?"

"Yes, I know." Rachel closed her eyes and breathed in Quinn's soothingly smell, her coconut shampoo and clean sweat. Being close to Quinn put all of her worries to rest.

"Well this is precious." She heard Jessie's voice behind her. Quinn stiffed and let go of her.

"Jessie hello." Rachel said awkwardly. Quinn put a possessive arm around Rachel's shoulders.

"People are not taking to kindly to my being here." Jessie noted, "Are we going to have a show down too Quinn? How about the parking lot, five o'clock?"

"No." Rachel looked between her girlfriend and her best friend. However, instead of Quinn accepting his challenge, her hazel eyes softened slightly and she extended her hand, "Welcome to New Directions."

Jessie looked impressed as he shook her hand, "Thank you."

"We are performing a new number in the auditorium." Quinn began to head toward rehearsal, "I will talk you through it."

Rachel watched as the two walked down the hall discussing their last Madonna song. She smiled. Maybe everything would work out she hoped.

/

"Life is a mystery, everyone must stand alone. I hear you call my name and it feels like home." Quinn sang softly to herself it was nothing compared to the haunting vocals of Rachel's solo that started the song, "When you call my name, its like a little pray. I'm down on my knees, I want to take you there."

The number had turned out really well complete with Mercedes' church choir helping them out. After they finished practicing, Rachel had taken Jessie on a tour around the school leaving Quinn to wait for her. The Cheerio took the opportunity to seek out Puck.

"Puckerman!" She barked. The badass looked up from his locker panicked.

"Quinn," He said startled. He slammed his locker shut, looking for an escape route, "I was just going- I have a thing-"

"Calm down Puck." Quinn sighed.

"So you are not mad at me about being sexist?" He asked hopefully.

"Of course I am." Quinn fixed him with a cold stare. He flinched expecting a beat down but it never came. He looked up to Quinn who was now looking at him with some compassion, "But I know you are just as scared as Rachel. You are about to be a father, you need to see this through every step of the way or you will regret it. You are not your dad Noah."

"But what if I am?" He had never sounded more frightened than he did in that moment.

"You are not." Quinn insisted. "You would never run out on your daughter because you are the bravest man I know."

"Thank you Quinn." He said honestly.

"No problem." She gently punched his shoulder but quickly turned serious, "Now I need your help with something."

"Anything Q. You got it." Puck leaned forward interested.

"Jessie is trying to hurt Rachel." She informed him.

"What? How do you know?" the tall boy furrowed his brow.

"He pretty much confessed it to me when Rachel was not there last Friday." Quinn scowled, "He said he is not stopping until he has Rachel on his arm. I know that he is up to no good."

"Well, let's out him and lay some smack down." Puck cracked his knuckles eagerly.

"It in not that simple. We out him, he outs me to my parents." Quinn grimaced.

"Shit Quinn." Puck shook his head. He knew the serious implications of Quinn's parents discovering her sexuality, "What are you going to do about it?"

"I am not sure yet. I am just waiting for St. James to make his move." Quinn was helpless in the matter, "I just wanted you to know. I need to know that you have my back when the time comes."

Puck nodded, "I would do anything for you and baby mama."

"You are a great friend." Quinn told him.

"No doubt." Puck presented her with his fist. She smiled as she bumped her fist into his. The alliance was formed.


	14. Chapter 14

The days that followed Jessie's arrival were oddly normal. He did not even interfere with the performances or try to steal all of the solos. He just sat back and let New Directions practice for Regionals. This only made Quinn tenser about the whole thing. But the only mishap for the week was Sue had seized the auditorium for her Cheerio's practice because Splits Magazine was coming to name her coach of the year leaving the Glee Club homeless for the week. That was the least of her worries though.

Cheerio's practice was particularly heinous as Coach Sylvester worked them to the bone in order to impress the magazine. Quinn was so exhausted she accidentally fell asleep talking to the baby, which was one of her favorite activities. The fear of being kicked off the squad was rampant amongst the ranks as girls took to extreme dieting so that they would make the weight requirement. Only Quinn seemed to be immune to the panic as she sat at lunch with some Cheerios eating a health lunch of grilled chicken and asparagus while her teammates all had celery sticks. One girl was crying over cottage cheese as her friend tried to console her. Quinn noticed that Mercedes was making a scene over at the Glee Club table with Artie and Tina.

"Stop making me want to eat you!" The curvy girl stood up abruptly. Did Quinn hear that right? She recognized the look on Mercedes face as her eyes rolled into the back of her head and she collapsed onto the ground. It seemed that the black girl had really taken being a Cheerio to heart. She rushed over to help revive the unconscious girl.

Later, Quinn sat with Mercedes in the nurse's office that was thankfully no longer occupied by Mrs. Schuester. The nurse wandered off to go get the patient some ginger ale but Quinn knew what the diva needed. The blonde sat in front of Mercedes holding out a granola bar.

She turned a cheek, "No thanks. I am not hungry."

"Yes you are. You are starving." Quinn pressed her, "I know I have been there."

Mercedes did not seem swayed so Quinn asked, "Did all the other kids start to look like food right before you passed out? Was Rachel a cupcake?"

"With pink icing." She finally looked Quinn in the eye, "How did you know?"

"Been there." Quinn smirked, "Eat the granola bar."

"Why are you being so nice to me?" Mercedes snatched the food, "The last time you talked to me it was a threat."

Quinn realized that she had not spoken to Mercedes, Kurt, Artie or Tina since that had tried to out Rachel of the club for hanging out with Jessie. The topic had simply been dropped by the next Glee rehearsal, though Quinn did notice some sour looks from the four friends. She felt bad leaving their relationship on those terms but she had just been so busy with Rachel, school, Cheerios, Glee, Rachel, that she had not even consider mending her old ways with the rest of the club that she had trodden on.

"You are right. I never apologized for how I treated you in the past. And I am really sorry. I am not sorry for standing up for Rachel. But the rest of it, the slushies and the names, I was a bitch. No one deserves to be treated like that." Quinn said sincerely.

Mercedes looked stunned, "Wow. Thanks Quinn."

"So do you think you could give me another chance then? To be your friend?" Quinn asked humbly.

"I suppose." Mercedes cracked a smile, "Seriously though girl, how do you handle all of the pressure to be skinny?"

"I was you. Scared, hating myself for eating a cookie. But," Quinn shrugged, "I got over it."

"Of course you did, Miss Pretty Blonde with the white girl ass." Mercedes groused.

Quinn shook her head, "You know, Rachel was upset the other day. She said she was fat."

Mercedes scoffed, "Her skinny ass is pregnant. She is not fat."

"I know. I told her that. But it made me realize, I was so worried about what Rachel was putting in her body for the baby but I was not taking care of myself. How could I tell Rachel to eat healthy when I was living off grapefruit and parsley?" Quinn confessed. Some tears leaked for Mercedes eyes. Quinn leaned forward, "You are so lucky. You have always been at home in your body. Don't let Mrs. Sylvester take that away from you."

"I am so embarrassed." Mercedes sniffled, "This isn't me. How did I become this person?"

"You know what I told Rach? I told her that her pregnancy is beautiful." Quinn covered Mercedes hand with her own, "And you are beautiful too. You have to take care of something that is beautiful."

The normally sassy diva wiped her eyes, "Thanks Quinn."

"Anytime." The head cheerleader embraced her teammate. "I will stay with you until your mom comes."

They sat quietly together for a moment when the nurse returned with the beverage for Mercedes. Quinn could see some healthful glow coming back to Mercedes as her body received some nourishment. The new Cheerio cleared her throat, "So you and Rachel?"

"W-what are you talking about?" Quinn's eyes shot left to avoid Mercedes.

"Girl, don't stop being real with me now." Mercedes looked at her knowingly, "You may have the rest of this ignorant school fooled but there is no hiding it from the Glee Club with the exception of Finn. That boy is in a constant state of clueless. I know something is going on there."

"I thought we were discreet." Quinn cursed herself slightly.

"You are." Mercedes reassured her, "But no one cares more about Rachel and this baby than you including Puck. I see the way you look at her and hope that someone looks like that at me someday. It is all right Quinn. Your secret is safe with me."

"So the whole Glee Club knows?" Quinn asked.

"No," Mercedes shook her head, "At least not outwardly but I would not be surprised if there was some suspcision."

"I really love her Mercedes." Quinn could not keep the smile off of her face.

"I can see that." The diva smiled with her, "I am happy for you. My only question is why do you let her hang out with Jessie. You know he is trouble."

Quinn frowned, "I am well aware but there are extenuating circumstances. He is pretty much blackmailing me."

"Shoot girl." Mercedes looked worried. If Jessie had their captain under his thumb, then they were in real trouble.

"I don't know what to do." Quinn admitted.

"Don't worry. When the time comes, you will have friends to rely on." Mercedes squeezed her shoulder, solidifying their new friendship

/

Rachel was comfortably sitting on the couch watching The West Side Story. She had finished her homework and got a snack of popcorn and organic hot cocoa. She had her fuzzy blanket and leg warmers but something was missing. Right, Rachel thought, her girlfriend. That could be easily remedied. She found her phone buried in the couch cushions and dialed Quinn's number by heart.

"Hey Rach." Quinn answered the phone warmly.

"Hey Quinn, what are you doing?" Rachel always felt a delighted when she got to call her girlfriend. She had always wanted a significant other the chatter on the phone with until the wee hours of the morning. Then her fathers would be outraged because of her astronomical phone bill. But it would be worth it because as her dad scolded her, she would be reminded of Quinn, Quinn who was her girlfriend. This was the kind of thing that happened to normal teenagers. Rachel had been deprived of normal teenage experiences because of her social stigma, even with Finn, he had been a less than attentive boyfriend. Now with Quinn, she was helping her dreams come true.

"Just finishing some homework." Rachel imagined Quinn sitting hunched over her desk neatly resolving her Algebra problems.

"Well if you have completed your studies. Perhaps you would like to come finish a movie with me?" Rachel subconsciously twirled her hair between her fingers.

"I am not sure if that is a good idea Rachel…" Quinn sounded wary. Rachel understood. Since Rachel's father had found out about the baby, Quinn's visit had become less frequent. Hiram was still fuming about the house while Rachel gave him the silent treatment. He had become even more hostile towards her girlfriend considering Quinn had defied him and encouraged Rachel to keep her daughter. Her Papa tried to demand respect but the drama queen said he would get her respect back when he treated Quinn right.

Some nights, before she went to sleep, she could hear her parents arguing about her, the baby, the future. Those nights were when Rachel would especially need to call Quinn. She never experienced her fathers yelling at each other and it was very upsetting, especially since it was her fault. The blonde would be dog-tired but she would manage to stay awake and be sweet to her, soothing her until she fell asleep.

"My father's have a squash game tonight that they could not break." Rachel informed Quinn, "They will not be home until later."

"I will be over in ten." And then Quinn was gone. Rachel smiled, setting her phone down. She could see Quinn in her mind rushing about her room to find her keys, mumbling a thin excuse to her parents, to get out of her house. In less than ten minutes, Rachel heard the front door open and sneakers getting kicked off onto the hard wood floor.

"Hey sweetie." Rachel greeted her as the blonde flopped down on the sofa next to her. She was wearing a Cheerios hoodie and some loose sweatpants. Rachel could see she showered because her hair was still wet in a ponytail and she smelled freshly of soap.

"Hey baby." Quinn kissed her on the lips. Her face was still could from the outdoors, making Rachel shiver, or maybe it was the kiss, "West Side Story again, huh?"

"The baby really likes it." Rachel said placing the blame on her unborn child, "It is the only thing that will stop her from kicking me in the bladder."

"Maybe we have a little soccer player in there." Quinn cooed to Rachel's stomach.

"I would say more of a tap dancer." Rachel smiled as Quinn put her face close to Rachel's stomach.

"Of course," Quinn corrected herself, "How is the little sea monkey?"

"Fine. She is happy you are here." Rachel spoke for the both of them.

"Have you been giving you mommy any trouble?" Quinn asked still speaking to Rachel's swollen midsection. Rachel felt the baby move and she knew Quinn could feel the thump under her hand.

"That is what I like to hear." Quinn said as if the baby had actually answered. She sat up to address Rachel now, "How have you been feeling?"

"Tired." Rachel sighed while Quinn looked at her sympathetically, "I actually had a tickle in my throat the other day. I can't get sick. I never get sick."

"The baby puts a lot of stress on your body." Quinn slipped her arm around Rachel. "You could be more susceptible to illness now."

"I hope not." Rachel would just have to increase her vitamin regiment. She pushed aside the thoughts of disease, "How has your week been? I feel like I have hardly seen you."

"It has been hectic." Quinn agreed. "I am just glad that journalist is gone. He actually really liked Mercedes performance."

"That was really nice. Was that planned?" Rachel very much doubted that the song had been Sue Sylvester approved.

"Nope. Mercedes just needed to emote but it worked out for everyone." Quinn stole some of Rachel's warm beverage, "That reminds me. Mercedes knows about us."

"You told her?" Rachel was not mad, just surprised.

"Not exactly. You remember that day she fainted in the cafeteria?" Rachel nodded prompting her to continue, "Well, after I had a sort of heart to heart with her in the nurse's office and she kind of just knew."

"I suppose that is not a surprise. I mean, she is our friend after all." Rachel cuddled into Quinn's shoulder, "She sees our every day interactions. I actually would not be surprised if the others caught on as well. Except for Finn, he is in a constant state of cluelessness."

Quinn laughed heartily, "You are right. You know, it was nice telling someone else about it, about us, having another person accept our relationship."

"I am glad." Rachel was pleased to hear that Quinn's fear was slipping away. She knew how difficult it was for the blonde cheerleader to accept the fact that she was gay. She could see Quinn becoming more confident in who she was as people found out about them.

"So have you thought about what song you are going to do for Mr. Schue's 'Find your Voice' assignment?" Quinn asked with sarcastic air quotes.

"I was thinking The Climb by Miley Cyrus." Rachel said resolutely, "I have been over coming some obstacles and I think it is fitting."

"Whatever you say babe." Quinn laughed at her girlfriend's taste in music.

/

Quinn sat patiently with Rachel in the doctor's office, holding her nervous girlfriend's hand. The tickle in Rachel's throat had gotten worse, made evident by her attempt to sing the already awful Miley Cyrus song she had prepared. It was clear that the singer had lost her voice as the notes cracked and pitched. Rachel had been horrified. Such egregious sounds had never come out of her and Quinn had spent the night before calming her down over the phone so that she would go to the doctors.

"What if he says I am never going to sing again?" Rachel looked so vulnerable in her blue hospital gown.

"He is not going to say that." Quinn chided.

"Bad news Rachel, you are never going to sing again." The doctor pulled back the curtain that separated the rooms. Fortunately before Rachel burst out in tears, he held his hands up, "I am kidding."

Quinn let out a sigh of relief with Rachel then glared at the doctor for scaring them like that. He went on to say, "You do have severe tonsillitis that resulting in an inner ear infection. From the looks of things your tonsils should have been taken out years ago."

"Why should I let you butcher my throat when resting my voice for a week and chugging down herbal tea will do the same job?"

He told her bluntly, "This is a very serious infection Rachel."

"She is worried about the surgery affecting her singing voice." Quinn tried to make the man understand Rachel's concern.

"Look, we cannot do the surgery now anyways because of how far along your pregnancy is." The doctor began to scribble on her chart, "But they will eventually have to come out or this will continue to happen. At least take these antibiotics unless you think they will adversely affect your dance moves."

Rachel dejectedly took the prescription and he left them alone to let Rachel get dressed. Quinn muttered, "Bastard."

She did not think that his sarcasm was necessary while Rachel was worried half to death. She looked at her girlfriend who was cradling her baby bump, "What is the matter Rach?"

"What if I never get it back? I mean who am I without my voice? I am just a spoiled, annoying, only-child with a baby on the way." Rachel's voice cracked. She hopped off the bench, turning her back to Quinn, to try and hide her emotions.

"Don't say that." Quinn demanded softly, "There are so many great things about you Rach."

"Like what?" Rachel sounded legitimately curious. Quinn came up behind Rachel and put her arms around her, her hands resting protectively on her stomach.

"Like your big heart. Like how you care about everyone in Glee so much. Like how forgiving you are. Like how you see the good in everyone." Quinn kissed the side of her neck, "Like when this little one is born, you will be a great mother."

"How do you do that?" Rachel turned in Quinn's arms. The blonde reached up and cupped Rachel's cheek, wiping away the tears with her thumb.

"Do what?" Quinn kissed her forehead they way she knew Rachel liked.

"Make everything better." Rachel smiled when Quinn blushed lightly.

/

"Stars faded but I linger on here." Rachel sang to an empty ballet studio. She was the only dancer left as she immersed herself in song and dance. The brunette was a firm believer in practicing. No one got to the top by sitting around and doing nothing. It took dedication, heart, and talent, all of which Rachel had in spades. "Still craving your kiss."

Rachel liked to think that on top of that, more than anything she believed in herself to succeed. Truthfully, however, that belief had been shaken. There were already so many obstacles in the way, and now with a baby coming, it seemed more impossible than ever. All of her doubts came bubbling to the surface today when Mr. Bryan had given that disheartening speech in Glee Club today. What were the odds of all 13 of their dreams coming true? "Dream a little dream of me."

She twirled around and caught a flash of golden hair in the doorway. She stopped abruptly to find Quinn leaning against the frame, admiring her, "Looks like your voice is back and better than ever."

"Yes, well all it took was a heroic amount of antibiotics, a mysterious blend of herbal remedies, and a vow of silence." Rachel joked.

"I think I missed that vow of silence." Quinn sauntered over to her girlfriend only to be swatted in the shoulder.

"Hey." She laughed indignantly before enveloping Rachel in her arms. "Seriously, Rach, that was beautiful. Was it from something?"

"No just free style." Rachel felt her cheeks turn crimson, "When I am feeling unsure of myself or stressed, I like to come in here and pretend I am on stage, dancing something unique. Of course, I hope to perform the Broadway classics but would be a dream come true to originate a role."

"Is that what you wrote down today?" Quinn cocked her head curiously.

Rachel nodded, "It is well known that it is my dream to become a star."

"That is not a dream Rachel." Quinn shook her head.

"What do you mean?" The diva wrinkled her brow curiously.

"A dream is something that you hold on to in order to make it through. A secret wish in your heart that if it came true all of the hurt would go away." Quinn corrected her, "You performing to a packed theater is not a dream, it is an inevitability."

"Thank you Quinn." Rachel was flushed with confidence again under her girlfriend's adoring gaze. Despite the obstacles, the baby, and whatever else Rachel had to deal with, all she had to do was remember that now she had Quinn, and everything seemed possible.

"So what is your dream?" The blonde shouldered her dance bag as they began to walk out of the room.

"I don't know." Rachel shrugged, slightly taken aback by the question.

Quinn looked at her expectantly, "Well go inside and find it and ask it what it is going to take."

"Why are you pushing this?" Rachel asked.

"Because I am your girlfriend. I want to know everything about you." Quinn put her arm around Rachel's shoulder, "When you lie awake at night, what is missing?"

"My mom." Rachel blurted out the answer before she could think about it.

"Your mom?" Quinn sounded surprised by the answer, "Like you want to meet her?"

"Well yeah. I mean especially with my own baby on the way I have began to wonder about her." Rachel confessed, "I don't know if I really want to meet her yet but at least know her name maybe a little bit about her."

"It is silly though." Rachel tried to put it out of her mind, "It is not like it is going to happen or anything.

"Why not?" Quinn stopped walking to study her carefully.

Rachel turned to face the blonde, "Well, my fathers have never told me anything and I did not want ask them because I do not want to hurt their feelings. I don't want them to think they are not enough."

"Maybe we could do some research into it without them knowing. See what we find?" Quinn offered.

"Really?" Rachel did want to know her mother but at the same time she was afraid of what she would find.

"Yeah," Quinn seemed oblivious to the brunette's reservation. She was too enthused about discovering this detail about her girlfriend, "I just want to make all your dreams come true."

Quinn was being far too sweet for her to refuse. Forcing excitement she smiled at the supportive cheerleader. "Sounds great."

/

Quinn was in study hall trying to focus on her Spanish paper but her mind was preoccupied with other things, namely Rachel. She really wanted to help her girlfriend find her mother. She was going through a difficult time and maybe to have this one dream fulfilled would maybe keep the going. She noticed Rachel's hesitance but she had agreed to pursue it. So far, their searches had been inconclusive. It was a closed adoption and they could not get the public records. They would have to find a different source of information.

"I have found her." Rachel popped up by her side as she slipped in the seat next to Quinn.

"Your mother? Where?" Quinn was surprised but the brunette sounded so sure of it.

"In the library." Rachel looked around as if she were being followed, "I have been doing research on her all morning and as I have expected my intuition is always correct. My mother is Broadway legend Patty Lapone."

Quinn's excitement deflated as Rachel continued on her rant, "I have always had a deep connection with Miss Lapone, her choice of roles and songs, so I decided to do a little math to see if her being my mother was even possible. 1994 was a big year for mother. She was a sensation in Pal Joey. But that was New York; I was born in Ohio you say. Well mother took many breaks from the show to perform with Mandy Patinkin that April to perform at the E.J. Thomas Hall in Akron, Ohio nine months before I was born."

"You are saying your fathers impregnated Patty Lapone? Was Mandy Patinkin in on this?" Quinn asked trying to make her realized the improbability of that.

Rachel floundered, "Look at the photographs of her performance in Master Class in 1996. You can see the pain in her eyes at having given up her obviously talented little girl."

She flipped open her binder and showed Quinn the images that she had found in the library. The cheerleader took the picture but looked squarely at Rachel, "Do you really believe this?"

"I guess not… Do you want to hear my research that proves my mother is Bernadette Peters?" Rachel became to shuffle through some papers. Quinn placed her hands on Rachel's stopping her movements.

"Why are you so afraid of discovering the truth?" Quinn asked gently.

"What if she is just some skank who would do anything for money including giving me up?" Rachel looked over at Quinn with shining eyes, "Or what if she is some teenage trollop? What if she is me? How am I any more suitable to be a mother than she was?"

Fortunately the room had emptied so Quinn could take Rachel in her arms, "Baby, You know that I think you will be the best mother."

"How do you know? How do you know I will be a good mother?" Quinn began to understand that all of these fears had been brewing since that moment in the doctor's office.

"How could you not be Rachel?" Quinn gasped, "You are patient and kind. And you already love this baby so much."

"But how can I be a mother when I have never had one?" Rachel began to cry into Quinn's shoulder. The truth was finally out.

"Rachel, listen to me. I know that you will be a wonderful mother because your fathers have raised the most beautiful person I know, inside and out." Quinn played with brown waves that fell onto her chest. "You are the best at everything you including this. We do not have to find your mother if you do not want to but maybe she had a really good reason for doing what she did. If you want, we could still find out about her."

Rachel thought for a moment before lifting her head up and nodding, "Okay, I want to know."

"Alright." Quinn smiled at Rachel's brave face, "Then we need to do a real investigation."

Rachel looked sheepishly at her folder of speculation theories, "Do you have any baby stuff at your house to give us a clue?"

"My fathers have kept every piece of paper related to my life in filing cabinets down in the basement. It is sort of a little Rachel Berry museum." Rachel said drying her eyes.

"Perfect, we will start there." Quinn stood up, "I will come over to your house after dinner tonight."

"My fathers have a games and cards night with some friends at 8 so you can come over anytime after." Rachel informed her, "It is funny how they can get along outside of the house but once they step inside they barely speak to each other unless it is to yell."

"Still not getting any better?" Quinn cringed.

"No it is." Rachel sighed, "Slowly but it is."

"Okay, I have to get to class." Quinn leaned down to kiss her girlfriend. "I will see you later tonight.

/

"Thanks for helping me move these boxes Jessie." Rachel led the boy into her room so he could set the cumbersome things down on her bed.

"No problem. There was a lot of stuff in the basement." He noted.

"I know. It was like a shrine. Creepy but flattering at the same time." Rachel pulled one of the lids off of the boxes to peek inside.

"What are these for anyways?" Jessie opened the other box.

"Well, I told you about how Quinn and I are on a quest for my mother." Rachel riffled through some papers, "She is coming over tonight to help me look for clues and these are the boxes with the earliest dates on them. Look my baby teeth."

Rachel gushed over the jar of her small teeth so that she missed Jessie's eye roll. He held up his own find, "Look."

"Is that me?" Rachel took the sonogram from his hands.

"Looks like you." Jessie continued to rummage.

"Hey, my first singing competition," Rachel found a trophy in her box, "I came in first place."

She handed it to Jessie for him to see, "You were 8 months old."

"I was very musically verbal. Oh, cute little baby shoes." Rachel continued to look for things to show Quinn. She was so distracted that she did not notice pull a cassette tape from his pocket and place it in the box that he was looking through.

"What is this?" Rachel turned to see Jessie pulling the tape from its cardboard confines and presenting it to her. "It say from mother to daughter."

Rachel's heart sped up as she took the plastic case in awe, "She wrote this. She held this in her hand."

Jessie grabbed it back from her as he crossed the room to her bedazzled boom box. Rachel gasped alarmed, "What are you doing?"

"Playing the tape." Jessie said obviously.

"No!" Rachel shot off the bed.

"She wanted you to here this." He argued.

"I am not ready for this." Rachel felt the panic rising, "What if she is singing on the tape? What if she is bad, or worse, better than me?"

"I can't believe you are running from this." He told her.

"I am not." Rachel defended herself as she tried to calm down. "I want to listen to it. I just need to do it alone. I think you should go."

"Alright." He sighed and left her to think. Rachel clutched the artifact in her hand as she paced about the room. The cassette was so small and unassuming and yet at the same time it held so much about her that she did not know. She sat on the bed to try and gather herself before Quinn came. She had told Jessie that she needed to be alone but really she needed her girlfriend to hold her hand. She ran her fingertips over the smooth surface, focusing on the feeling opposed the mess that was going on in her head.

"Hey baby, you start with out me? Oh, look at your cute little baby shoes." Quinn came into the room like a ray of sunshine. Rachel noticed her wet hair stuck to her cheeks. She looked out the window and noticed it had started to rain. There was a flash of lightening but she could not hear any thunder yet.

"Jessie was just over to help me move the boxes." Rachel's voice was quiet so that Quinn could barely hear her. The blonde paused.

"That was nice of him." Quinn said politely. She seemed to notice the brunette's solemn mood as she tentatively took a seat next to Rachel.

"He found this." Rachel pressed the tape into her girlfriend's hand.

The blonde looked at it, "From mother to daughter… This is from…"

Quinn looked stunned as Rachel nodded, "She wanted me to have it."

"Are you going to listen to it?" Quinn did not push her into it.

"Yes." Rachel whispered.

"Do you want me to go?" Quinn was unsure.

"Never." Rachel suddenly gripped the blonde's hand.

"Okay." Quinn kissed her forehead and slowly got up to put the tape into the player, giving Rachel plenty of time to protest. Rachel heard the soft click of the play button then the tape began to wind, filling the silent room with white noise.

"Hi baby, it is your mom. I think this pretty much say it all." A stranger's voice floated into her bedroom. But it was not a stranger. It was her mother's voice. She felt Quinn beside her as music began to play. Now Rachel was in her own world, oblivious to the happy yellow walls of her bedroom and her Broadway memorabilia. She was only aware of the beautiful sounds issuing from the speakers and Quinn's warm hand on her back, "I dreamed a dream in times gone by. When hope was high and life worth living. I dreamed that love would never die. I dreamed that God would be forgiving."

Rachel did not realize that she began to sing along with the track, "Then I was young and unafraid, and dreams were made and used and wasted. There was no ransom to be paid. No song unsung, no wine untasted."

"But the tigers come at night." It was as if Rachel could feel her mother around her. That voice shaped into a body that moved about the room, "With their voices soft as thunder. As they tear your hope apart. As they turn you dream to shame."

Her voice and her mother's rose together until she finally won over, singing with abandon, "And still I dreamed she'll come to me, that we would live the years together. But there are dreams that cannot be, and there are storms we cannot weather."

Suddenly it felt as it were not Quinn's hand that she was holding so tightly. It felt as if her mother were so close, "I had a dream my life would be, so different from this hell I'm living. So different now from what it seemed. Now life has killed the dream I dreamed."

The song finished softly and Rachel squeezed her eyes shut, a lone tear trailing down her cheek. They sat there until the tape stopped completely, the snap of the cassette player was deafening in the silent room. Rachel let out a shaky breath, her voice was rough but strong, "She is out there Quinn. She is out there still singing to me."

"I know baby." Quinn pulled her girlfriend closer, "We will find her."

The blonde lay back on the bed, pulling the smaller girl with her. Rachel immediately curled up into her side. The storm outside got worse as the rain fell harder so they could her the drumming on the roof. Lightening struck and this time it was followed by a loud rumble that shook the room. The two girls just lay on together listening to storm rage on.

/

Jessie St. James ran through the rain to get to the car parked in front of his house. He hopped in, wiping the rain from his eyes so that he could see his Vocal Adrenaline coach Shelby Corcoran sitting in the drivers seat.

"She has the tape and she is going to listen to it." He reported to her.

"You are sure she is going to listen to the tape?" She demanded.

"Positive," Jessie confirmed, "You know, this has been a great acting exercise and everything but what is the point of all this? Why can't you just go up to her and say 'Hi, my name is Shelby. I'm you mom'?" Jessie whined.

"Because I signed a contract. I can't contact her until she is 18. She has to come to me." The older woman told him, "Just one more week and you can come back to Vocal Adrenaline were you belong."

"She just has to listen to that tape. Then I know that she won't be able to sleep until she finds me." She muttered to herself. Shelby glanced over at her star pupil who was looking at her concerned. She sighed as she began to recount her story to him, "I answered an add in the paper. Nine months work here would make me enough money to live in New York for two years. Her dads seemed like nice guys so I went for it."

Jessie nodded for her to continue, "I never got to hold her and I only saw her for a second when the nurses were cleaning her off. But she turned her little head and she looked at me…"

Scoffing at herself, Shelby went on, "I failed as an actress. My walls are lined with trophies instead of wedding photos. But through all of that, I only have on regret. I would do anything for my baby girl back."

Jessie decided to leave his coach so she could have sometime alone as he dash back through the pelting rain. Shelby Corcoran hummed to the empty car, "Now life has killed the dream I dreamed."

She did not stop to think of the time that had passed, that now her infant was someone else entirely. It had been 16 years since she had seen her daughter, and now unbeknownst to her, her baby was expecting a baby.

**/**

**Hey everybody. I have been super busy moving to my new apartment so this is what I have so far. Sort of just some stuff setting up for the seasonal finale. I was a little disappointed about the lack of reviews… I really appreciate those of you how do. It really helps motivate me. So I hope that you all like this chapter and we will hopefully have the next one up soon. Perhaps next chapter Jessie will be exposed for the fiend that he is!**

**Slowly but surely folks! Let me know what you think! Maybe recommend to some of your friends. And still open to baby name suggestions haha. I am hopeless.**


	15. Chapter 15

Rachel sat at her desk furiously scribbling down her ideas for her next Glee number. She had scarcely stopped writing since Mr. Schuester had given them the assignment to do Lady Gaga. The woman was a pop icon and completely brilliant after all. Performing one of her songs would be an honor.

"Rachel, baby, how about you take a break?" Quinn asked from her spot on Rachel's bed. The blonde lay on her stomach with her face at the foot of the bed as she idly flipped through a book. Rachel looked at her girlfriend sheepishly, having actually forgotten that Quinn had come over to visit her about 20 minutes ago.

"Sorry. I guess I am being a little over zealous." Rachel abandoned her brainstorming to join the head cheerleader on the bed.

"I am excited too. Bad Romance is going to a sweet group number." Quinn sat up so she could cuddle with the brunette.

"What are you reading?" Rachel noticed the pages had a strange format.

"I found this baby names book in our library. I figured my parents would not miss it so I brought it over." Quinn showed her that she was looking at the section of girls' names, "I know you want to keep the baby so I thought that she should have a name."

"How thoughtful Quinn." Rachel shifted closer so she could see better, "I have been thinking about names but it is so overwhelming. I only have one shot at this."

"It will come to you." Quinn assured her as they looked at the names together.

"Some of these names are really ridiculous." Rachel laughed, "Cleopatra? Are you trying to give your kid a complex? That is like telling her she has to grow up to be the Queen of the Nile."

Quinn chuckled along with her, "Her middle name could be Nefertiti."

"That is not the worst we could do." Rachel pointed to a name, "How about Candy?"

"If you wanted to name a stripper." Quinn shook her head, "Oh, Gertrude is nice."

The blonde could not say that sentence with a straight face. Rachel giggled, "Am I having a baby or a senior citizen?"

"Well she is your child…" Quinn playfully insinuated at Rachel's sometime questionable clothing options. Kurt did love to say that her wardrobe was a perfect blend of toddler and grandmother.

"Hey!" Rachel pretended to be offended as she grabbed a pillow to hit her girlfriend with.

"Okay I am sorry!" Quinn quickly retracted her statement while managing to take the soft weapon from Rachel's grasp.

"You better be." Rachel smiled, "You hurt Gertrude's feelings."

"I am sorry Gertie." Quinn palmed Rachel's swollen stomach and slipped her arm around thin shoulders. The diva turned her head to Quinn so that their faces where in very close proximity. She subconsciously licked her own lips as Quinn's distracted her. Rachel noticed the blonde leaning in.

"You know, I think I like Moonbeam for a middle name." Rachel halted her movements, her voice low with desire. Quinn smirked but ignored the jibe as she claimed Rachel's lips with her own. All thoughts of baby names were put aside as the couple became immersed in each other.

/

"Do you think they can see us?" Mercedes whispered.

Quinn followed close behind, "If they catch us will we have to go to jail? I am too pretty for prison."

"It is not against the law to steal their ideas." Rachel brought up the rear with her pregnant belly weighing her down. The short diva had convinced them to join her on a recon mission to spy more on Vocal Adrenaline, which was why they were creeping around the balcony of Carmel High's auditorium. They slipped into the black leather seats but kept low, barely peeping over the railing to see the kids dancing in ridiculous, red lace costumes.

"They look amazing." Rachel was impressed. It was easy to see why they had won Nationals three years in a row. But their director however was not happy with their performance as she stopped them.

"No, no, you guys aren't getting it." She sighed. Rachel could only see the back of her head but she seemed tall and serious, "You are letting the costumes do all of the work. Theatricality is not about crazy outfits. It is not enough to douse yourself in gasoline; you have to light yourself on fire to make it work."

"She is good." Rachel said quietly to herself. The speech that the director gave her students felt as though it were directly aimed at her. It sparked her desire to sing and she yearned to be up on stage.

"Do I need to show you?" Miss Corcoran asked dryly but before her students could respond she ordered the piano man, "Funny Girl. E flat."

"Exactly what I would do. Barbara." She murmured to Quinn, "I could do it in my sleep."

"Funny. Did you hear that?" The older woman started to sing to her reflection in a mirror. "Funny. Yeah, the guy said honey, you're a funny girl."

In just those opening lines Rachel felt her heart stop at the woman's voice. It was eerily familiar in the way emotion dripped off every word, the way it filled the room as if it were herself that was on stage.

"That's me. I just keep them in stitches." Rachel audibly gasped as she saw Miss Corcoran's face for the first time. It was her long brown waves, her high cheekbones, and her smile. It was all too much to be coincidence. Her stomach twisted painfully with each line that passed as her suspicions were confirmed. Rachel was so drawn in that she was compelled to stand. She needed to get closer.

"Where are you going?" Mercedes asked dubiously.

"Get back here." But Quinn's words fell on deaf ears. The brunette waddled down the stairs. The performance was muffled but she could still hear the expressiveness of the performer. Rachel found her way to the main level and started down the aisle.

"A girl ought to have a sense of humor. That is one thing you really need for sure." It was uncanny. She even moved the way Rachel did on stage. The way she held herself in the finally moments of the song as if she needed help to get through it, "How it ain't so funny, funny girl."

The petite diva did not realize that she had practically made it to the stages edge. She needed the woman to look at her, "Miss Corcoran?"

Her head snapped in Rachel's direction in surprise. The younger brunette choked out the only thing she could think to say, "I'm Rachel Berry. I am your daughter."

A dramatic pause filled the space. The Vocal Adrenaline coach pulled herself together, "Rehearsal is over. You are all dismissed."

Her pupils all scattered at this, happy for the reprieve in practice for the rest of the day. Rachel remained rooted in her spot as mother and daughter regarded each other carefully. It was odd to see so much of herself in this woman and yet she was a virtual stranger. Rachel saw that eyes similar to her own brown were trained on her stomach.

"You are pregnant." She was astonished.

"Almost eight months." Rachel tugged self-consciously at her over burdened sweater. There was another moment of silence.

"Let's talk." Shelby began to move off stage. Rachel turned her back to the stage she needed a moment to compose herself for the shock of it all. She noticed Quinn and Mercedes hovering anxiously in the back of the theater. Her girlfriend was obviously struggling not to go to her side. Rachel called to her, "I am fine."

"Alright. I will wait for you." Quinn said without question. Then she and Mercedes disappeared to give them some privacy.

Shelby had taken a seat amongst the rows waiting for Rachel. Unsure of where to sit, even more unsure of where their relationship stood, Rachel sat a couple rows ahead of her birth mother. Rachel asked the first thing that came into her mind, "Did you regret it?"

"Yes. Then no." Shelby knew what she was asking, "And so much."

"When did you know it was the right time for me to find you?" Rachel found it curious that when she needed a mother the most, hers just happened upon her.

"I saw you sing at Sectionals." The older woman admitted, "You were extraordinary. You were me. You were pregnant then?"

"My dress hid the bump." Rachel felt herself flush with the compliment but she worried. Her mother was clearly as talented as she was if not more. What hopes would she have to make it to Broadway? She asked, "Was it hard not having your dreams come true? Not becoming a star?"

"It felt like a broken promise, like the Fisher King's wound. It never truly heals." Shelby told her.

"Genetics are really amazing. You see the world with the fierce theatricality that I do." Rachel had to laugh lightly. She knew exactly what it was like to feel too much, to want things too much. "Even the way we are sitting right now is so dramatic but we both feel so comfortable with it."

"I have missed so much. And now you are having a baby. I never thought… Are you going to keep the baby?" Rachel could tell that the woman was near tears. Rachel could feel them too for all of the lost years between them.

"Yes, I am keeping her." Rachel said resolutely.

"But you are so young." Shelby protested.

"I don't think I am strong enough to give her up." Rachel confessed. There was another pause.

She heard Shelby lean forward, "How do you feel?"

"Thirsty." Rachel looked back to her mother's confused expression, "When I was little and I used to get sad, my dads would bring me a glass of water. It got so I could not tell whether I was sad or just thirsty."

"Ah, I should not have done this." Shelby sounded just as lost as she felt at the moment. Rachel watched in alarm as her mother stood up and pulled away from her, "This was supposed to feel good. We were supposed to have slow motion, run into each other's arms. This is all wrong."

Rachel grasped at straws, "Maybe we could just go to dinner or something to get over the initial shock."

She did not want her mom to go now, not now that she had found her. Rachel needed Shelby to hold her in her arms and tell her it was going to be all right. They needed to learn how to be mothers together. She did not think she could do it without her. But Shelby just looked at her sadly with regret, "I am so sorry Rachel. I will call you."

With that empty promise, her mother hurried out of the auditorium, abandoning her once again. Rachel could not move. She had just met her mother, a mother who still did not want her. It was not the magical, tear-filled reunion she had in mind. It did not complete her and they were certainly not a big happy family. Instead the encounter had just amplified the sting of rejection.

"Rach, what happened?" Just when she felt like she was about to fall into despair, Quinn was there to catch her, "I saw Shelby rushing out of her."

"She left. She doesn't want to see me." Rachel tried her hardest to stop the tears from spilling out of her eyes but it was no use.

"Oh baby, I am so sorry." Quinn did her best to pull Rachel into a hug over the armrest of the chair. "She does not know what she is missing."

"Take me home Quinn." Rachel sighed defeated into her girlfriend's shoulder.

"Okay." Quinn helped her up and they made their way out of Carmel High.

/

Shelby jumped into her car and turned the key in the ignition. Her SUV roared to life in a satisfying way as she threw it in reverse and drove out of the parking lot like a bat out of hell. She needed to get as far away from Rachel as possible. Meeting her estranged daughter had not brought her the happiness that she had hoped for. Instead of finding her baby girl she found a young woman, practically an adult, who had snuck in and was posing as her child. The reunion had filled her with regret, sadness, longing, and mostly jealousy. The older woman was jealous of the way Rachel's body swelled with child, a little baby growing inside, while her own was barren. After some complications and then surgeries, it left her unable to have kids, which had devastated her. Now, instead of wanting Rachel, she yearned for the little person in her daughter's womb.

She found herself pulling up in front of a house, briskly walking to the front door, and sharply knocking on the oak. A minute later Jessie opened the door still dressed in red lace. He smiled, oblivious to his director's mood, "Looks like she found you. Do you think she saw me though? I am still at McKinley. I put my veil on but-"

"Why didn't you tell me Rachel was pregnant?" Shelby snapped.

Jessie stopped short, confused, "Rachel is pregnant?"

"You did not know?" Shelby asked finding it hard to believe.

Jessie shrugged, "I thought she was just fat. I told her to cut back on the carbohydrates."

"You idiot." She muttered under her breath.

"So she is pregnant, what is the big deal?" Jessie tried to defend himself.

"My little girl is having a little girl." Shelby hissed, "That is information I would have like to have been briefed on."

"I am sorry." The delicate boy flinched away from his teacher.

She took some calming breaths and addressed her star pupil again, "I am sorry I lashed out at you. This is just a lot to take in."

He nodded understanding, "Well, what are you going to do about it?"

"I am still working on it." Shelby said mysteriously.

/

To say that Quinn was worried about Rachel was an understatement. Her normally chatty girlfriend barely uttered a word to her on the way home. It seemed that the brunette did not want to talk about what had gone on in their rival's auditorium. She wanted to stay the night with Rachel but the diva declined saying that she needed to be alone. Quinn respected her wishes but that did not mean she stopped thinking of Rachel for a moment. Even working on her Lady Gaga costume could not distract her. She did not understand how Shelby could do this to Rachel.

Quinn distinctly remembered back in first grade. The blonde little girl was already on her way to being HBIC with her rich parents, blonde curls, and mastery of the monkey bars, which thoroughly impressed her classmates. It was recess and Quinn was surveying her kingdom, which was the playground at the time when she first laid eyes on Rachel Berry. Her young mind struggled to wrap around what she felt when she saw the small brunette swinging by herself, her long hair whipping in the wind, a big smile dominating her face as her little legs pumped her into the sky. Quinn just felt that she had to know this girl who was wearing a ridiculous sweater with kittens on it. Rachel noticed Quinn was observing. Her grin widened and she frantically waved at her. The frosty blonde did not wave back but coolly turned on her heel marched off to find Santana.

In that moment of Quinn looking into those bright, brown eyes, she knew that Rachel was kind and sweet with a big heart. She was special. She would be something special. But Quinn did not know what all of this meant until now. Quinn figured is a six year old could understand that much then Shelby should have known in an instant. She would not have refused her wonderful, fantastic daughter once again.

"You guys look great. They costumes really reflect your personalities." Mr. Schuester's congratulations interrupted her thoughts as she looked down at her outfits. She did look rather spectacular in her pink get up.

"Thanks Mr. Schue." Tina said excitedly, "This assignment has really let me explore another side of me."

"I am glad Tina." The Spanish teacher gushed.

"Where is Rachel?" Kurt asked while he checked out his rhinestone mole in a compact, "I notice because I am not extremely irritated right now."

"Rachel got some intense news yesterday." Mercedes leaned in ever the gossip.

"Well?" Kurt prompted her.

Quinn chimed in, "Well, we were spying on Vocal Adrenaline."

She was ready to make something up completely. It was not their place to air out Rachel's dirty laundry but Mr. Schuester stopped to scold her, "You guys have to stop doing that. It is not fair… But what did you learn?"

"Get this, Mrs. Corcoran is Rachel's mother." Mercedes proclaimed.

"Seriously?" Mr. Schue was stunned.

"It's over. Rachel is jumping ship to Vocal Adrenaline." Kurt said dramatically.

"Not a chance." Rachel walked in late, still looking rather glum, "I am still getting over the shock and my fathers want to move my therapist into the guest bedroom but it is already almost a nursery so I told them not to bother."

Quinn realized what her girlfriend was wearing and had to stifle her laughter. Rachel had taken all of her stuffed animals and made them into a dress complete with a lamb acting as a bow on top of her head. Rachel fiddled with a ribbon, "I have chosen a Lady Gaga look that reflects the longing of a childhood that I did not have."

"You look terrible." Brittany blurted insensitively, "I look awesome."

"I think it is the Kermit the Frog look." Mercedes tilted her purple wig to the side.

A beanie baby fell on the floor with a splat. Kurt said wryly, "And we have a jumper."

"My dads can't sew." Rachel explained, "These are just stapled on."

"Well, let's try to worry about this later and focus on the song." Mr. Schuester tried to console Rachel.

"I couldn't agree more." Rachel nodded, "Hit it."

Kurt leaped out of his seat and the rest of the girls followed as they began to dance like little monsters, "Rah-rah-ah-ah-ah-ah! Roma-roma-mama! Ga-ga-ooh-la-la! Want your bad romance."

/

As it turned out, collectively they made a really great Lady Gaga, Quinn thought as she walked down a dimly lit hallway. But she had since retired her pink dress and silver hoops for a very tame pair of skinny jeans and an old Cheerios t-shirt. She was on her way to go talk to Shelby if she could just find her office in Carmel High. Rachel would probably kill her if she found out that she was going to speak to the woman on her behalf but she was never one to sit idly by while someone she loved got hurt.

She stumbled across the choir room and saw a lamp was on with its weak light spilling underneath door. Quinn knocked softly.

"Who is it?" She heard Shelby's confused voice through the door.

"Quinn. Quinn Fabray." The blonde called out.

"Come in." If the older woman was surprised by her presence she did not show it.

"I need to talk to you." Quinn stated.

"I am not trying to plot against you a week before Regionals by revealing Rachel as my biological daughter." She said dismissively, assuming that Quinn wanted to talk about Glee Club.

"This is not about Regionals. This is about Rachel." Quinn said trying not to snap. Now Shelby looked startled. "Rachel is special. She had a lot of you, you know. She is strong-willed, dramatic, and wildly talented."

"Go on." Shelby pretended to blush.

"But she is not hard like you. She is fragile and emotional. She just feels so much. And when you left her in that auditorium, you shattered a part of her." Quinn accused.

"I did not mean to…" Shelby trailed off.

"Why? Just tell me why you would hurt someone so wonderful as Rachel?" Quinn demanded.

Mrs. Corcoran stuttered for a moment, "I thought I wanted that connection with Rachel. I thought that it would make me whole but… She is a teenager now. She does not need me."

"But she did need you." Quinn corrected, "She wants a relationship with her mother so she can be a mother too."

"I just wanted my baby back." Shelby lamented, "I have missed so much of Rachel's life. That is time with her that I will never get back. I am sorry but it hurts too much to have a relationship with her."

"You should have thought of that before you tore through her life." Quinn practically growled at the selfish woman.

"What do you want from me?" Shelby sighed.

"Just stay away from Rachel." Quinn warned, "You have done enough damage."

"Alright." Shelby said meekly, clearly a bit intimidated by the icy blonde.

"I am glad we had this chat." Quinn said cheekily and turned to leave.

"Now, I have a question." Shelby's voice stopped her, "Why are you so concerned about Rachel?"

"If you were a part of Rachel's life then that would concern you." Quinn stared blankly, "But you are not, so it doesn't."

/

**This is taking me a longer time than I had originally planned. Stuff keeps coming up and I am still working out some of the plot details so it is slow moving.**

**I wrote a page and a half before I realized that what I was writing did not pertain to anything, and did not go into this story at all. So this is short chapter on what I have so far. I wanted to just make one big chapter but I am afraid that is not going to happen.**

**So think of this as a Part 1 kind of deal.**

**My next point to tackle is Jessie St. James so have no fear.**

**Oh, and I know the baby's name, which will be in the next chapter as well.**

**Should I tell you?**


	16. Chapter 16

**Starting off with a bit of drama! And then more drama! Thank you everyone for you encouraging comments and following my story. I hope you like this chapter, and kept up you enthusiasm.**

**/**

"Wow, so Mrs. Corcoran is your mom?" Jessie pretended to be shocked.

"Yes, it was quite a shock to me as well." Rachel said, not noticing the false tone in his voice. Jessie had come over to keep her company while Quinn was at Cheerios practice. She really needed a friend to listen to her during this emotionally taxing time.

"I feel so stupid." Jessie began to play it up, "How did I not see the connection?"

"Don't be so hard on yourself." Rachel gripped his arm comfortingly, "It was completely unexpected."

"So are you going to start spending time with her?" Jessie inquired.

"Well, it is more complicated than that…" Rachel looked down sadly, "I do not think Mrs. Corcoran is ready to deal with the trials and tribulation of a pregnant teenager."

"Oh, I am sorry Rachel." Jessie snuck his arm around Rachel's shoulders.

"It is all right." The petite brunette put on a brave face.

"Seriously though Rachel," Jessie sounded concerned, "If you need me for anything, I will be there for you."

"That is so sweet Jessie." Rachel did not realize how close his face was getting to hers.

"I mean it Rachel." The charming boy intimately caressed her cheek.

"Jessie?" Rachel was confused by the gesture.

"Rachel…" Jessie trailed off as he forced his lips onto Rachel's. The diva almost instantly leapt off of the bed as if she had been burned. She stared in horror at him, as Jessie looked startled by her abrupt movement.

"What was that?" Rachel demanded alarmed.

"I am tired of playing this game Rachel. I know you want me." Jessie insisted.

"You know full well that I am already involved in a romantic relationship." Rachel said aghast.

"But why would you want to be with someone else instead of me?" Jessie seemed honestly perplexed.

"I just don't have those feelings for you." The brunette crossed her arms protectively in front of herself. The arrogant boy blinked at her so she continued, "While you compliment my vocal talents and have an admittedly lovely jaw line, I only see you as a friend."

"But Rachel, no one says no be me." He said with an uncomfortable laugh.

"Jessie, I am in love with someone else. I am sorry." Rachel shook her head.

He got off the bed and began to move toward Rachel, "What is the point of me being in New Directions then? If you are not with me, then I see no reason for me to stay. Don't do anything you will regret."

"I thought we were friends." Rachel was shocked by the threat.

"You are not that naive Rachel." Jessie scoffed.

"I can't believe you are saying these things." Rachel flinched away from him when he tried to stroke her hair. Now he was becoming irritated.

"You are making a mistake." He said through gritted teeth.

"I think you should go now." Rachel glared up at him.

He tried to soften his features and implore her, "But Rachel, I love you…"

"Please go Jessie." Rachel backed away as Jessie pushed forward trying to get closer to her.

"Now, I don't think you really want me to go." He had her with her back to the wall and nowhere to go. She was about to protest when someone interrupted her.

"I swear to god if you touch her St. James you will wish you were never born." Quinn was suddenly in the doorway, still in her Cheerios uniform and sweaty from practice. Jessie paused and then slowly faced Quinn with a slimy grin.

"Well if it is Quinn Fab-gay, charging in on her noble steed to save the sniveling damsel." Jessie chuckled cruelly.

"I believe Rachel asked you to leave, I would do as she say before I have to punch your face in." Quinn warned with a low growl. Rachel relaxed at the appearance of Quinn, not that she was particularly worried about Jessie trying anything and if he did her pepper spray was only a few feet away on her desk.

"How butch of you Quinn." Jessie sneered.

"Leave now St. Asshole." Quinn ignored his barb.

"Fine, I will leave you to your slut girlfriend, dyke." As soon as Jessie said such an ugly word, Rachel snapped.

"How dare you!" Rachel was outraged as she unexpectedly pulled back her fist just as Jessie turned his head to her; she landed a punch square on his nose. He howled in pain as his hands flew to his precious nose. Rachel did not know who was more shocked Jessie, Quinn, or herself.

"You bitch, you bitch!" Jessie cried with blood beginning to slip through his fingers. Quinn suddenly began to laugh hysterically at the events that had unfolded,

"Oh my god." She managed to gasp in between giggles.

Jessie continued to shout, "You will regret this. You will both regret this!"

The male singer stormed out of the room in a fury. Quinn's laughter was dying down, she called out after him, "Oh yeah? Don't make me sic my 5'2" pregnant girlfriend after you!"

Quinn joke sent her into a fresh way of laughter but as soon as Rachel was sure Jessie was gone she began to hiss in pain, "Ow, ow, ow."

"Are you alright baby?" Quinn asked concern taking over her amusement.

Rachel clutched her hand that had connected with Jessie's nose, "Punching people hurts."

"Let me see." Quinn gently took Rachel's hand so that she could inspect it. Rachel watched as the blonde gingerly brushed her thumb over her rapidly bruising knuckles.

"Well you sure got in a good shot." Quinn said ruefully, "We should ice this."

Before Rachel could stop herself she began to sniffle as she held back her tears. Quinn immediately pulled her into a hug, "It is alright."

She tried to calm her girlfriend but once her head hit Quinn's shoulder she was full out sobbing. Damn her baby hormones, "You were right. You were right about Jessie. I should have believed you."

"Don't even think about that." Quinn shushed her.

"But he said all those horrible things to you." Rachel blubbered.

"It does not even come close to mattering what Jessie St. James thinks of me." Quinn kissed her forehead sweetly.

"How could I be so stupid?" Rachel mumbled.

"You are not stupid. Jessie took advantage of your trusting nature." Quinn persisted, "You did nothing wrong."

"I still feel like a fool." Rachel rubbed her eyes tiredly, her tears ebbing.

"Rachel Berry you are a lot of things but a fool is not one of them." Quinn comforted her.

"I love you Quinn." Rachel pressed her lips firmly to Quinn's.

"I love you too Rach." Quinn smiled when she pulled away, "And I love the fact that you punched that ass clown."

The cheerleader succeeded in making the diva laugh, "Now let's go ice your hand Rambo."

/

Quinn shifted her heavy duffel bag on her shoulder. It seemed so much more cumbersome today as she trudged up her porch steps. Perhaps it was the funk that the Glee Club seemed to be plummeting into. Jessie, true to his word, retaliated in full force. He rejoined Vocal Adrenaline and they expertly performed Another One Bites the Dust on their auditorium stage. They were violated even further when they found their choir room trashed with toilet paper. Even seeing St. James bruised nose, blooming under his eyes, had not been quite as comforting as she would have hoped. Rachel seemed particularly stung by Jessie's betrayal as she moped around for most of the day and asked for him to be eaten by a lion.

Quinn was toying with ideas how that could be arranged when her mother called to her, "Quinnie, could you join us in the living room."

The head cheerleader slipped her bag off her shoulder and went into the elaborately decorated room to find both of her parents sitting there. Her mother was perched tensely on the floral couch, clutching her glass of chardonnay until her knuckles turned white. Her father was glaring into a tumbler full of scotch in his big, leather armchair.

Quinn daintily sat on sofa across from them, smoothing out her pleated skirt, "Daddy, you are home early."

He only grunted in response. Her mother looked worriedly between her daughter and husband, "Well Quinn dear, your father received some… surprising mail at his office today."

"Oh?" Quinn maintained her calm exterior but her palms began to sweat.

"Yes, well, um…" Her mother was struggling to find her words.

"Show her the photo Judy." Her father order sharply. Her flustered mother reached behind her and placed a folded piece of paper on the coffee table, sliding it towards her daughter. Quinn picked it up and looked at it pretending to be disinterested. Her heart leapt into her throat but all she did was raise a perfectly shaped eyebrow at the image before her. Someone had captured a private moment of her and Rachel in the choir room. Quinn was stealing a kiss from the diva with her hands cradling Rachel's baby bump. The blonde would have loved the picture if someone had not written across it bold, red letter, 'Thought you should know what your daughter has been up to.' Quinn knew who had done this instantly: Jessie.

"So?" Quinn said somewhat snottily as she toss the picture away from her.

"So?" Her father snarled, "So what is the hell is this?"

"It seems to be a photograph of me kissing my girlfriend." Quinn tossed back coldly. This stunned her parents into silence. Her mother took a long drink of her wine. While her father spluttered, "You, you…"

"That is right Daddy. I am a lesbian." Quinn sneered.

This sent her father into a fit, he roared, "I did not raise some, some queer!"

"But you did!" Quinn shouted back losing her composure, "I love Rachel and there is nothing that you can do about it!"

Russell slammed his glass down on the end table, "No! You will stop this nonsense at once."

"But I can't Daddy. I cannot help who I love." Quinn's voice softened as she tried to reason with him. But he just shook his head unable to look at her.

"This is an abomination. Homosexuality is a sin. You will burn in hell for it." Russell ranted. Quinn sighed. She knew all was lost when her father started in on his rhetoric, "What happened to my little girl?"

Quinn was startled by his sad question. She looked into his eyes that matched the same hazel as her own, "I am still you little girl."

"I remember when you were little. I took you in your sister to a baseball game. Your sister she made it through the entire thing but you, you fell asleep on my lap. I was afraid that the crowd would get to loud and wake you up. But you just stayed asleep… That little girl would never do this to me." He shook his head adamantly.

"I am not doing this to you. I cannot help how I feel. I am still your daughter." Quinn practically begged her father to understand but he would not even look at her now. She knew that it was a lost cause.

"Not anymore. You need to leave my house." Russell emptied his glass.

Quinn knew that it had been coming. She knew that if her father had found out about her sexuality that he would disown her but that did not stop the amount of pain that she felt now. She looked to her mother, "Mom…"

Quinn whimpered but Judy was staring out the window with tear rolling silently down her cheeks. Quinn saw that it was useless. Her mother would never, could never say a word against Russell Fabray.

"You have 15 minutes to pack and get out." Russell stood and went to pour himself another scotch. Quinn slipped on her stoic mask and left the room. It was a surreal experience walking through her house for the last time. She did not have time to enjoy her bedroom one last time as she mechanically pulled a suitcase out from underneath her bed and began to empty her drawers out the best she could, trying to grab special mementos that could not be replaced; pictures of the Glee Club, notes from Rachel, an image from an ultrasound, her favorite stuffed lamb. The blonde dragged her what she could take downstairs with the clock still ticking. Her mother was hovering in the foyer where she had dropped her Cheerios bag.

"Quinnie… I am sorry." Judy's voice quaked, as she stood frozen in her spot, unable to move closer to her daughter.

Quinn picked up her cheerleading duffel, "Not sorry enough to stand up for me when I needed you."

She kept a steady pace as she walk through the ornate, oak doors. Walking to her car where she put her belonging in the trunk. Her red convertible that she got for her sixteenth birthday back smoothly out of the driveway like always. Quinn felt numb on her drive over to Rachel's house. She barely noticed that both of Rachel's fathers car in the drive, a notion that normally filled her with dread as she retrieved her suitcase. Quinn stumbled up the porch steps in a daze. She rang the bell with her free hand and waited.

"I will get it." Quinn's breath hitched as she heard Rachel's voice echo through the house. It took a moment for the diva to get her pregnant self to the door but she answered it with flourish, "Quinn, what are you-"

Before Rachel had a chance to finish, Quinn broke down completely. The suitcase fell from her hand with a loud thud. Tear fell from her eyes unchecked and sobs escaped her lips. She staggered forward into Rachel who did the best to catch and lower them to the ground. Quinn cried into her girlfriend's shoulder while Rachel helplessly tried to soothe her, "It is alright. It will be all right. What happened Quinn? What happened?"

The blonde knew she was scaring her girlfriend but she could not speak, let alone hardly breath to tell her what had just transpired. Finally she managed to choke out some words, "My father. H-he found out."

"Found out?" Rachel was confused only for a moment, "About us. How?"

"J-Jessie." She stammered and began to cry harder again. Quinn could tell that Rachel was trying her best to be strong for her but she could hear the pain in the brunette's voice.

"I am so sorry Quinn. This is all my fault." The blonde could feel tears hitting her scalp like the first drops of rain. Quinn pulled back enough to look Rachel determinedly in the eye.

"This is not your fault. It is not your fault that Jessie is so cruel. It is not your fault that my father kicked me out of my house while my mother sat idly by. You have do nothing but love me and there is no fault in that." Quinn was practically shaking the small brunette. Rachel nodded silently as she gained control, wiping her tears away.

"Your parents don't deserve you if they cannot see what a strong, caring, beautiful person you are." Rachel stroked her cheek tenderly.

"Maybe not, but I still feel so lost like I have no place to go." Quinn said forlornly.

"Nonsense. You will always have a place here." Both girls turned to see Rachel's fathers watching the whole heartbreaking scene. Leroy was the one who had spoken but Hiram was nodding with his lip mildly trembling. Things between Hiram and Quinn had still been tense but it seemed that all of it dissipated with Quinn in her time of need. Seeing Quinn at her most vulnerable allowed him to see passed her icy, mean cheerleader image so that all he saw was a girl in need, who makes mistakes but loved his daughter unconditionally.

"Thank you." Quinn breathed out a sigh of relief. Hiram quickly crossed the room and picked up her suitcase as a sort of peace offering. He held out his hand and helped the blonde girl up who subsequently helped up her girlfriend.

"Why don't you girls go upstairs and settle in. We will need to discuss the details but let's worry about that another time." Leroy suggested.

"I will bring up some hot tea." Hiram told them softly.

"Thank you Papa." Rachel threw herself at the shorter man. They hugged and then Rachel went to hug her other father. She began up the stairs with Quinn following her closely.

"Quinn Fabray, what do you think you are doing?" Leroy asked playfully trying to break the somber atmosphere, "You are not going up those steps without a hug."

Quinn managed a small smile as she went back down and walked into Leroy's warm embrace. When he pulled away, Hiram was right there giving her a quick but tight hug. Quinn felt as though she was going to cry all over again as all of the Berry's opened their arms to her, "This means so much to me. Thank you."

"It is nothing. Just go get some rest." Leroy said. Quinn obeyed as she rejoined her girlfriend. They went straight to Rachel's room where Quinn promptly collapsed onto the bed. Rachel curled in behind as best she could with her rounded stomach, spooning her.

Quinn felt the diva press her forehead in between her shoulder blades and began to hum, "When the night, has been too lonely, and the road, has been too long, and you think, that love is only for the lucky, and the strong."

Rachel's voice washed over her as her eyes slipped shut taking in the comfort it offered her, "Just remember, in the winter, far beneath the bitter snows, lies the seed, that with the sun's love, in the spring, becomes the rose."

Quinn felt the baby kicking through Rachel's belly into her lower back where it rested. The blonde felt reassured by the baby's movement. It was almost as if she were trying to tell her something. Suddenly the blonde was hit with a revelation, "That is it Rach."

"What is it?" Quinn turned over to see Rachel's adorably crinkled brow.

"The baby's name." Quinn smiled widely.

"What are you talking about Quinn?" Rachel asked.

"Rose. She is a rose." Quinn placed her hand on Rachel's belly.

"Rose. Rose Berry" Rachel tried out the name with her own smile growing, "It is perfect."

"Now all she needs is a middle name." Quinn rubbed where the little girl had just been kicking.

"Actually I have been thinking about that. And I think I have one that fits." Rachel said thoughtfully, "I have been looking at family names. My great grandmother's name was Adeline. I think it is beautiful."

"Rose Adeline Berry. It is a perfect name for a perfect little girl." Quinn agreed. Despite the pain and harsh realities, Quinn could not help but feel happy here with Rachel.

"You know, I may have just lost my parents but I did not lose my family. Glee Club is my family, your fathers. You are my family Rach, you and this baby." Quinn told her.

"Oh sweetie," Rachel was close to tears again, "I love you."

"I love you too." Quinn leaned in to kiss her girlfriend. Their lips met softly, slowly exploring, not demanding, and just needing to be close to one another. Rachel nestled her face into Quinn's chest and her breathing began to even out. Quinn felt the exhaustion of the past hour take over her as well. Both girls were sound asleep before Hiram could bring up the tea.

/

"What if I told you, I know how to show it right back down there throats?" Mr. Schuester looked at his lackluster students as he tried to breath some life back into the depressed group, "New Directions is about to make their funk the P-funk. We are going to get funked up. The only way to do that is to beat them at Regionals."

Quinn normally liked to ignore Mr. Schue's little pep talks but at this point she was willing to pull herself out of this depression. Of course Rachel was helping her significantly but they had decided not to inform their teammates of the falling out with her parents just yet and she really needed another form of release.

"Vocal Adrenaline had never once done a funk number. They are a machine, a collective, synthesized, soulless beat. Funk is soul meets anger. Its passion is in its emotion. Vocal Adrenaline does not perform with any. So you have you assignment. I want you guys to turn McKinley High into funky town." Despite that fact that their choir was doing his best to embarrass himself, for once Quinn was completely on board. She nodded as she began to think of songs that she could perform for Glee Club the next day.

"You guys can relax. I got this one covered." Mercedes said confidently, throwing a wrench into the blonde's planning. She was not going to take this one lying down.

"Wait a second," Quinn said, "I want a chance to get funky too."

Her statement was met with laughter from her fellow classmates. Rachel just glanced at her worriedly. Mercedes giggled, "Good one Quinn. It even sounds funny when you say it."

Quinn glared, "You said that funk was about soul and anger. I have plenty of both."

It was true. Since she had been kicked out of her house Quinn felt angry about everything. Mercedes continued to disregard her, "Let's face it when white people try to be funky you end up with Casey and the Sunshine Band."

"I love them." Artie said unhelpfully.

"Mercedes racism aside," Quinn said pointedly, "I will have something prepared for tomorrow."

"Alright." Mr. Schue agreed, "Quinn is up first."

With that the bell rang, disbanding their practice.

/

As promised the next day Quinn stood in front of New Directions as promised. She stared them down as she introduced her song, "Sometimes you feel like you have no control over your life. Sometimes you feel so oppressed that you have to stop and say no. That is what I want to sing about today."

Her peers watched attentively as Brad began to play and Quinn gripped the microphone stand tightly, "This is a man's world. This is a man's world. But it wouldn't be nothing, nothing, with out a woman or a girl."

Quinn thought of the tight hold her father kept over his household. She thought of her meek mother, her older sister who ran away the first chance she got, and how no one could defy him, "You see, man made the car, to take us over the road. Man made the train, to carry the heavy load. Man made the boat for the water, like Noah made the ark."

She was so tired of Russell domineering her life, even now, he was the one who was keeping her from her home, "This is a man's, man's, man's world."

Quinn put all of her resentment and pain into the song, "But it wouldn't be nothing, no nothing, without a women or a girl."

Everyone watched Quinn with rapt attention, wondering what was tearing her up inside. In the low lighting of the room, Quinn thought she could see something glisten in Rachel's eyes. It could have been pride for the blonde, tear, or maybe both. But the blonde hardly took time to notice as she just worked on the cathartic release of singing out her emotions, "This is a man's world. But it wouldn't be nothing, nothing, without a woman or a girl."

"He's lost in the wilderness. He's lost in bitterness. He's lost, lost somewhere in loneliness." Quinn finished as her finally thoughts lingered on her father and how he was so caught up in himself. He would never admit to being wrong, never admit to not knowing all the answers, just stumbling blindly through life hating everyone. Quinn found herself surrounded by the Glee Club offering their support. Rachel was hugging her tightly and Mr. Schuester put a reassuring hand on her shoulder. Only Mercedes was left, looking at her sadly with some regret.

After Glee Club, Mercedes and Quinn hung behind to talk to each other. Rachel squeezed her hand before promising to meet her by the car to let the friends have a conversation. Mercedes started off, "I am sorry for doubting you Quinn."

"It is okay Mercedes." Quinn accepted her apology immediately, "I am admittedly, very white."

They laughed lightly before Mercedes turned concerned again, "Seriously though Quinn, are you alright?"

"I will be." Quinn looked down, "My parents found out about my relationship with Rachel… They kicked me out."

"Shit, I am so sorry." Mercedes eyes widened in shock. "How did they…"

"Jessie sent them a lovely picture." Quinn sighed.

"That ass! I cannot believe he could stoop so low." Mercedes became outraged.

"I know. But I would have had to tell them eventually. How they found out would not have changed their reaction." Quinn told her, "I do not know how you to it Mercedes. At least, I can hide who I am. People make assumptions about you, judge just based on how you look."

"Yeah, it sucks but you cannot let it bother you. Then the anger will control you life." Mercedes explained how she dealt with the more ignorant members of society.

"Thanks Mercedes." Quinn hugged the curvy diva, "For understanding."

"Don't even worry about it girl." Mercedes gripped her a little tighter, "Us minority have to stick together."

Quinn laughed, realizing for the first time being gay made her a part of an oppressed community and she was completely okay with it.

/

When Rachel got the text message from Jessie to meet her in the parking lot, she knew she should not have gone. But a small part of her could not help but hope that Jessie had a reasonable explanation for his behavior or that he at had some remorse for his actions. At the very least, the diva should have brought Quinn with her. Unfortunately, Rachel foolishly ventured into the parking lot alone. She spotted Jessie by the buses and tentatively walked over to him.

Before she had a chance to ask him what he wanted a sinister smile spread across his face and she felt something hit the back of her head. Other projectiles hit her and she realized that it was an ambush. All of Vocal Adrenaline was throwing eggs at her; their mocking laughter filled her ears. Finally they stopped but their mirth only grew, as Rachel stood frozen in humiliation. One girl snorted, "I hear you are a vegan Berry. Guess all of these baby chicks' lives are on you conscious now."

Jessie stepped forward to deliver the final blow. If he was going to do this he was going to have to look her in the eye, "Do it. Do it like you broke my trust."

He barely hesitated to crack his own egg deliberately on her head, "Nothing personal."

With a shrug, he and his teammates left her. The runny, slimy yolk dripped down her face, obscuring her vision. She kept her lips sealed tight to keep the yellow goo out of her mouth. Rachel hardly recognized the revving of SUV as they all sped out of the parking lot as she made her way back into the school.

She began to feel nauseous with the dead chicks hanging off her clothes. Mild panic set in as she started to run to her locker to grab her shower bag and extra change of clothes; remnants from the days that she was slushied which she had yet to get rid of. She quickly made her way to the locker room and rushed back to the showers where she viscously tore the clothes from her body. As soon as the warm water hit her, she cried out in relief. She stood there for a while letting her silent tears mix with the water. She held her stomach protectively, comforted by the gentle shifting from within. Once she calmed down, she began to methodically wash her hair and skin. She numbly watched the last of the suds and mess slip down the drain. She quickly dressed, though the clothing she had was a snug fit. She had to pull her skirt down low so that it rested under her bump. Her argyle sweater stretched to capacity over her rounded stomach. Not bothering with trying to salvage her clothing she tossed them in a garbage can and made her way to the choir room.

Everyone was already there and Rachel was glad she made the decision to clean herself up before she had to face them. Quinn noticed something was wrong instantly, "What happened? Why have you changed your clothes? Did Karofsky slushie you?"

"Jessie," Rachel's voice cracked, she cleared it to continue, "and Vocal Adrenaline ambushed me in the parking lot. They threw eggs at me."

Rachel sank into a chair in the middle of the room, "Now all I can imagine is those mother hens coming after me for revenge."

The brunette's announcement hung heavily in the air. Quinn was the first to shout, "I am going to kill him."

Puck joined in, "This is bullshit. No one lays a finger on my baby mama."

"Puck, Finn, Matt, Mike, with me." The blonde commanded. All of the boys, including Kurt, leapt out of their seats ready for some action.

Santana got up as well, "Not without me Q. You know I will go all Lima Height Adjacent on his ass."

"Let's go." Quinn began to lead the pack from the choir room. Unluckily, Mr. Schue was coming in and stopped the angry mob of teenagers, "Where are you guys going?"

"To go all Braveheart on Jessie St. James." Finn pumped his fist, getting into the anger. Rachel may have hurt him but at least he still had a sense of loyalty as teammates.

"No, violence is not the answer." He tried to usher them back to their seats.

"It will be when I rearrange his face!" Puck growled.

"Yeah, Mr. Schue something needs to be done." Kurt spoke up, "Rachel is one of us. Only we are allowed to humiliate her."

Despite Kurt backhanded comment, Rachel was warmed by her fellow teammates righteous indignation at her attack. Before this year, no one would have risen to her defense. They all would have averted their eyes trying to ignore her, Puck might have laughed at her, and Tina would maybe offer some condolences. Now Quinn Fabray was leading the charge against her tormentor and it was quite the role reversal. Her blonde fury was enraged as she pushed passed the Spanish teacher to exact her revenge with all of their friends in tow. Rachel glowed internally as she thought of these people, their group of misfits, as her friends. Not just following Quinn, but actually upset about her misfortune as well. She knew that they were being rash that they could get into a lot of trouble but she could not bring herself to stop their good intentions.

"Enough!" Mr. Schuester was getting fed up, "I know from first hand experience causing another person pain does not make you feel better. Now sit down!"

Only Kurt promptly walked back to where the other girls were sitting and watching the scene before them. Quinn stared the director down coldly, "He cannot just get away with it."

"He won't." The teacher was clearly trying to not be intimidated by the head cheerleader. She huffed and went to sit by Rachel and comfort her. The short brunette patted her hand, trying to help her cool off. The other dejected followed, disappointed by the lack of smack down.

"Rachel, call Jessie." The diva pulled up his number and called him, surprised by the sudden order, but doing so anyways. She was curious as to what he wanted to say to the conceited boy.

"Jessie St. James, Will Schuester. Meet us in our auditorium, tomorrow, 3 o'clock sharp." He spoke shortly into her bedazzled cell phone then brusquely hung up, snapping it shut, "Alright gang, let's get down to business."

/

Rachel stood on stage facing Vocal Adrenaline in her costume consisting of tiny red shorts and a cute conductor's hat, "This week you performed on our stage but did not give us a chance. So we thought we would prepare this little number for your viewing pleasure. Enjoy."

The diva addressed them sarcastically and then sashayed to behind the sheer curtain where the rest of her teammates were posed. She took her spot and the music began and they danced, as Kurt was the first to pop out, "You got a real type of thing going down, getting down. There's a whole lot of rhythm going round."

They sang in harmony, loosely dancing the routine they had worked out yesterday, "We want the funk. Give up the funk. We need the funk. Gotta have that funk."

"Na, na, na, na, na, na. Do, do, do, do, do, do, do, ow." Rachel grooved with Matt, laughing at their silly dance moves together.

"We're gonna turn this mother out. We're gonna turn this mother out." The performance was forgotten. Vocal Adrenaline faded away and it became about them getting out their frustrations from the difficult week.

"You got a real type of thing, going down, getting down. There's a whole lot of rhythm going round." The pace picked up to practically frantic as Mercedes wailed on a note. Rachel had to stop herself from applauding in the middle of the song. They took turns with dance solos, with Brittany performing a very impressive no-handed cartwheel.

"We want the funk. Give up the funk. We need the funk. Gotta have that funk." The song ended with a bang, even the jazz band was feeling the mood. They smugly began to walk off stage when Rachel heard Jessie utter, "They did a funk number. We have never been able to do a funk number."

"That is because we are soulless automatons." The lead female answered dismally.

"I am so depressed." Jessie stared out distraught and Rachel had to giggle. Quinn found Rachel and held her hand with a big smile on her face. It was clear she had heard Jessie's statement as well. Rachel squeezed her girlfriend's hand. Jessie might have hurt them both great but he would never have what they had, each other.

"See you punks at Regionals." Puck crowed.

**/**

**What do you think? Like the baby' name? And everything else? Next stop, season finale, though it will not be the last chapter…**


	17. Chapter 17

**So the plot might be a little bit thin in this chapter but humor me. Hope you like it.**

New Directions sat dejected around Mr. Schuester's coffee table, a pile of uneaten pizza placed in the center. Quinn sighed. Ever since they found out that Coach Sylvester was one of the judges at Regionals, all of their hard effort seemed as if it was all in vain. Mr. Schuester brought in a stack of paper plates, "No one wants pizza?"

They all just looked at him sadly. He rubbed his hands together, "Well, welcome to the first annual New Directions set list selection party."

"The first and only." Puck muttered. At that, Tina began to cry, "Sorry. I just love you guys so much and now it is over. You knew how many friends I had on Facebook before Glee. Two, my parents."

"Who says we will not be friends?" Finn asked somewhat naively.

"You think that Puck or Santana will acknowledge me in the halls after Glee Club is over?" Tina asked skeptically.

"She has a point." Puck agreed.

"No one says that Glee is over you guys. We have not lost yet." Their director attempted to remind.

"Sue is one of the judges, of course we have lost." Mercedes said.

"You don't know that." Mr. Schue said trying to keep their hope afloat.

"Yes, we do. Coach said she was going to crush the Glee Club." Brittany looked down as she somberly reported what Sue had told them during practice.

"Rachel was right. Being apart of something special makes you feel special." Tina was full out sobbing now and Mercedes pulled her in a half hug.

"Mr. Schue, do you think instead that we could just go around and say the things we will miss about Glee." Rachel began crying as well and Quinn wrapped herself around the brunette. The head cheerleader was feeling really down about their odds but she had to convince her teammates that it was not over.

"Wait you guys." Quinn stood up, "We cannot take this lying down. We have to pick the songs for Regionals. It has never been about winning for us so why start now? It is not about the outcome it is about the journey to get there and we have come too far to quit now."

Everyone began to perk up at her words. After all she was not captain for nothing. Mr. Schuester was beaming, "That is it Quinn. At the beginning of the year, I was going to quit. But you all brought me back with Don't Stop Believing. That was a 9. Let's make it a 10"

"Do Don't Stop Believing for Regionals?" Rachel was clearly energized by the idea.

"Not just that." He told his students who were rapidly getting excited, "A Journey medley."

/

"A mash-up of Josh Groban and Olivia Newton-John." Puck looked like he wanted to punch the wall, "Someone tipped them off who the judges would be."

"Don't let it get to you. We cannot have them in our heads now." Rachel reached on her tippy toes to try and turn off the speakers that were filtering Aural Intensity and static into the backroom. She felt Quinn's warm hand on her lower back as she saw the blonde reach passed her to flip the switch. The brunette diva felt much better now that the insufferable droning was gone. It was giving her a headache and making the baby very restless.

"Rachel is right." Mr. Schue joined them, "Plus we have something the other teams don't… Finn's dance moves."

Everyone laughed lightly but their faces were still etched with worry. Rachel wished there was something she could do to take their minds off all of the bad news they seemed to be receiving.

"I want to tell them." Quinn whispered in her ear.

"Tell them what?" Rachel whispered back.

"About us." Quinn smiled happily.

"Really?" Rachel tried to contain her excite and hope, "You are ready?"

"Yeah, I have been thinking about it and I really want to share this with our friends." Quinn said eagerly, "Plus most of them know anyways."

"If you are sure." Rachel wanted to make sure she was not pushing her girlfriend into this.

"I am sure." Quinn chuckled then turned to their choir director, "Mr. Schue there is something Rachel and I want to share with the group."

"The floor is yours." He sat down on one of the couches.

"As you may have realized," Quinn began, "Rachel and I have become a lot closer since the beginning of the year. She really is my best friend but she is more than that to me and I want you all to know about it. Rachel and I are dating."

Rachel leaned contentedly into the blonde's side, her girlfriend's arm wrapping around her waist. New Directions sat shell-shocked until Kurt erupted, "What? How did I not see this? My gaydar is seriously lacking."

Their teammates burst out laughing.

"I knew something was up." Tina walked up and hugged Rachel. "This is really great."

"I am happy for you baby mama." Puck congratulated them.

"Welcome out of the closet Fabray." Santana joked.

"Wow this is unexpected but congratulations guys." Mr. Schue looked proudly at his students.

"No." Finn said quietly. The others were so busy enthusiastically excepting the news that they did not notice Finn stewing in the corners. Rachel looked over at him hurt as all eyes swept over to the sulking teen.

"Finn-" Rachel started.

"No, my ex-girlfriends dating? Why are you still trying to hurt me?" He shouted his rage building.

"Whoa dude," Puck stood up flexing his muscles in annoyance, "This is not about you. This is about Rachel and Quinn being happy."

"Finn we are not trying to hurt you." Rachel begged him to understand.

"Bullshit! You have done nothing but screw up my life since the moment I joined Glee Club." Finn began to pace around the room.

"No one is out to get you Finn." Quinn attempted to calm him down.

"Seriously, Finnessa, the world does not revolve around you." Santana sneered.

"Finn, think about this. We are all your friends." Mr. Schuester took his turn at placating the tall boy.

"This is wrong. You are wrong." Finn suddenly muttered and began to push his way out of the room.

"Finn, wait." Mr. Schuester called out after him chasing the hulking teenager out of the room. Rachel sunk to the couch in despair with their happy news now tainted with Finn's outburst. Quinn squeezed her shoulder gently. They waited anxiously for Mr. Schue to return.

Rachel slumped in the seat when he did not come back with Finn, "He is gone."

All hope was dashed. The situation was more dismal then ever. Quinn cursed, "I am sorry you guys. This is all my fault."

"We cannot play the blame game now." Mr. Schuester shook his head, "It is no one's fault. You did not know how Finn was going to respond."

"No one blames you." Santana was quick to agree. Rachel nodded and kissed her reassuringly on the cheek.

Mike was the first to ask, "So what are we going to do?"

"We don't have enough members now." Mercedes stated the obvious.

"Do we have to forfeit?" Tina nervously chewed her lip.

"No, we have to try. I, I don't know what I would do without you guys." Rachel's eyes were shining with tears.

"Here you guys!" Artie suddenly exclaimed. No one had realized the wheelchair bound boy had been secretly searching for an answer. He held up a rulebook that he had been furiously combing through, "It says in the event of an emergency, a teacher can take the place of a student! We can just say Finn got sick and Mr. Schue has to fill in! As long as… oh, as long as it is not the lead part."

"Well, that gives us the numbers." Mr. Schue tried to rally them, "Puck, can you sing Finn's parts?"

"Sorry guys, I don't know the words." Puck shrugged helplessly. They were back to square one. No of the other guys had strong enough vocal talent, except for maybe Artie but the back of the theater was not handicap accessible.

"Quinn can sing them." Rachel said suddenly, "She helped me practice all week."

"Rachel I don't know…" Quinn said uncertain, "I know all of the words. But what would the judges think of two girls singing a love song to each other."

"Oh but Quinn, you sound so good. Better than Finn I think. And who cares if it is unconventional. If the judges don't like it, then at least we can say we tried everything. We cannot go down without a fight." Rachel said desperately. The blonde nodded and an infectious grin spread across her face.

"Looks like we have our plan." Mr. Schuester concurred and the other students voiced their agreement.

"This is it guys. I want you to know whether we win or lose you guys are all champions tonight. You have grown and matured into these fantastic people who love each other and support one another. Even if we lose Glee Club, you will still be the greatest group of kids that I know." Mr. Schuester said as he gave his motivational speech to the kids. They all nodded and smiled as they agreed with their dear Spanish teacher.

"New Directions, you are on in 10." A stagehand interrupted them.

"All right places everyone." Mr. Schue said, "I am going to tell the official that I will be performing. Everyone I know you do your best out there."

Quinn and Rachel separated from the rest of the Glee club members and went to the back of the theater hand in hand. They took their places and waited anxiously.

"Rach." Quinn broke away from her spot and went over to her girlfriend.

"Quinn what are you doing? The music is going to start any minute." Rachel scolded but the blonde was not deterred.

"I know. I just wanted to say that even though we are 16 and young and stupid- I will never stop loving you." Quinn brushed an errant lock of hair behind Rachel's ear. "You and your daughter."

"Oh Quinn, I will never stop loving you. I know as long as I have you I will be okay." Rachel gushed happily as she surged forward and passionately kissed Quinn. The blonde easily returned the kiss. They reluctantly broke apart and Quinn went back to her spot.

"Break a leg." Rachel said in her classically trained theater way.

"I love you." Quinn shot back with a smile that Rachel mirrored. They were prepared to end this together as the music started.

"Highway run, into the midnight sun," Quinn stepped out first into the auditorium and began to walk down the aisle, "Wheels go round and round, you're on my mind."

"Restless hearts sleep alone tonight," Rachel made her entrance flawlessly, "Sending all my love on the wire."

"They say the road ain't no place to start a family," They sang together beautifully, stopping to face one another, "Right down the line, it's been you and me."

"And loving a music man, ain't always what it's supposed to be." They began to walk toward each other, their eyes never leaving one another's. They passed each other without touching though Quinn wanted nothing more than to reach out to her girlfriend.

"Oh girl, you stand by me," Rachel sang as she slipped away and continued to walk down the aisle. Then Quinn joined her; " I'm forever yours, faithfully."

They ran up to the either side of the stage with big smiles on their face. They met in the middle and grasped each other's hands. As they reached center stage the curtain rose up revealing the rest of the show choir, joyously singing oh-oh-oh-oh.

"Faithfully!" Rachel sang out her voice rising above everyone else's, "I'm still yours!"

Rachel began to walk to the front of the stage and Quinn followed suit. Rachel belted out, "I'm still yours."

Rachel looked over at Quinn who joined her in the final line, singing with all of her heart, "I still yours, faithfully."

They stood facing each other mesmerized momentarily by one another. As the audience erupted with applause, Quinn offered her hand to Rachel and led her up to her spot amongst the other glee kids. Once in place the second song quickly started. Their energy immediately filled the theater.

"Any way you want it, that's the way you need it, any way you want it." They all sang together. And then began to shuffle their positions. Quinn lead the boys, including Mr. Schue, out in a v-formation and sang out, "She loves to laugh, she loves to sing, she does everything. She loves to move, she groove, she loves lovin' things."

Quinn danced at center stage then got out of the way for Rachel to lead the girls out, "It won't be long yeah til you're alone, when your lover, oh he hasn't come home, 'cause he's lovin, ooh he's touchin', he's squeezin' another."

The boys and Quinn joined in dancing as they shimmied and sang, "Any way you want it, that's the way you need it, any way you want it."

They danced around into new positions and Puck took center stage singing. "I was alone I never knew, what good love could do."

Quinn and Rachel took over for him singing to each other, "Then we touched then we sang, about the lovely things. 'Cause he is lovin', he's touchin', he's squeezin' another."

They danced with all their heart until the song came to a close and they froze looking down, anxiously waiting for their next musical cue. Then the familiar chords of Don't Stop Believing echoed through the auditorium.

Quinn stepped forward singing, "Just a small town girl, living in a lonely world, took the midnight train going anywhere."

Rachel stepped forward now, "Just a city boy, born and raised in south Detroit, took the midnight train going anywhere."

"A singer in a smoky room," Puck took his turn singing followed by Santana, "They smell of wine and cheap perfume."

"For a smile, they can share the night, it goes on and on and on and on." They sang together then everyone joined, "Strangers, waiting, up and down the boulevard, their shadows searching in the night. Streetlights, people, living just to find emotion, hiding somewhere in the night.

Rachel voice soared over the others singing perfectly as the musically break started and they all danced.

"Don't stop believing" Mercedes soulfully belted prompting the other to join, "Don't stop believing, hold onto that feeling, street lights, people."

They all raised their hands in sync reaching for the invisible dream, "Don't stop believing. Don't stop."

The music ended and the crowd roared in appreciation. They immediately broke rank and ran to each other to celebrate. Rachel very nearly tackled Quinn to the ground as the rest of their friends surrounded them.

/

"You guys, that was excellent! Superb! You knocked it out of the park." Mr. Schuester clapped his hands as they all laughed and practically skipped back stage, "I could not be prouder."

"It was so great that you could be on stage with us Mr. Schue!" Tina surprised him with a hug.

"Joining you guys on stage was the highlight of my teaching career." He smiled at his students.

"We are totally going to crush Vocal Adrenaline." Rachel said in a sudden outburst, her competitive edge showing through. Quinn laughed at her terrier of a girlfriend. She was about to lean down and kiss her when, "Ow!"

Rachel bent over slightly, clutching her stomach. Quinn became alarmed, "Rachel, what is wrong?"

"I don't know. I think…" Rachel trailed off.

"Um, either Berry just wet her pants or her water just broke." Santana eyed the puddle around Rachel's feet.

"Oh shit. The baby is coming." Quinn felt a rush of panic but tried to push it aside when she saw the fear growing in her girlfriend's eyes.

"We have to get to the hospital." Mr. Schuester said obviously. The entire Glee Club began to rush out.

"No not everyone-" Mr. Schuester sighed as they ignored him, "Fine everyone to the bus."

"Puck, call Rachel's dads." Quinn told him as she began to escort the brunette who was attempting to take deep, soothing breaths to the parking lot. He took Rachel's cell phone that she offered to him and quickly informed her parents what was going on. The bustling group barely noticed as they shoved their way passed Shelby Corcoran. She looked curiously after them and stopped Mr. Schuester who was trailing behind, trying to put on his jacket.

"What is going on?" She asked.

"Rachel's gone into labor. The baby is coming." He ran to catch up with his students.

In the hospital, Rachel was placed in a wheelchair. She gripped Quinn's hand tightly, to ensure that the blonde would not be able to go anywhere.

"Oh, it hurts." Rachel whined, "Where are my dads?"

"Right here sweet pea." Leroy took quick, long strides while Hiram jogged to keep up. "Are you all right princess?"

"Yes, but it hurts Daddy." Rachel was relieved to see her fathers. She felt safer with them here.

"I know. You will feel better lying down." Hiram gave her some temporary comfort.

"God I hate you Puckerman." Rachel shouted as they wheeled her back into the hospital; Quinn, Puck, and her fathers close behind.

/

"Push Rachel. You can do it." The doctor encouraged her.

"You are doing so good baby." Quinn stroked the hair off of her sweaty brow.

"You suck, you suck, you suck." Rachel continued to yell at Puck who stood next to the bed, but still a safe distance away from the angry diva. She had pretty much been verbally abusing him since the bus ride over.

"Rachel, focus on pushing." Leroy advised. He stood on the other side of Rachel, her small hand squeezing his larger one to the point of pain. Hiram paced anxiously in front of the bed, worried for his daughter.

Rachel fell back onto the pillows, "I can't…"

"You have to Rachel." The doctor told her. "The baby is almost here. Don't give up now."

The brunette gritted her teeth and sat back up with renewed determination. Quinn kissed her temple, "Push baby. It will be over soon."

Rachel cried out in pain as she worked to force the baby out of her body. After pushing and panting, for what seemed like an eternity, the doctor announced, "The baby is crowning. This is it the big push."

Squeezing her father's and Quinn's hands she pushed with all of her might.

"That is it Rachel." The doctor praised.

"You are doing phenomenally sweet pea." Her father rubbed her back.

"So good Rachel. You are almost there. I believe in you." Quinn whispered sweetly into her ear.

Suddenly shrill cries of an infant filled the room. Rachel began to cry out of relief, joy, love; all of these emotions overwhelmed her. Quinn was still by her side speaking in a calming hushed tone but the brunette could not quite make out what she was saying. She was just too exhausted.

She looked at Puck who was cutting the cord with something that looked like tears in his eyes as he looked at the little girl he helped create for the first time. She looked over at Quinn who was looking at her daughter with the same reverence that Noah had. She could see her fathers instantly fall in love with their granddaughter as well.

The doctor and nurses whisked the screaming infant over to a table to clean her off and check her vitals. Rachel impatiently craned her neck to try and get a better look at her daughter through the crowd of people surrounding her. Finally the doctor brought her back, presenting the baby to her, "A perfectly healthy little girl. She looks just like you."

"And she has your pipes too." Quinn joked with tears of happiness slipping off her cheeks.

Rachel took her baby in her arms for the first time and looked at who she had been carrying inside of her for almost nine months. The infant settled down almost instantly in her mother's arms with Rachel holding her like it was the most natural thing in the world. Her hair was dark with a slight curl. Her dark brown eyes could have been hers or Puck's. She could already see that she had her pouting lips but Puck's charming dimples. She was the most beautiful thing she had ever seen.

"Hello Rosie." Rachel said quietly. "You are so very loved."

/

Quinn walked out into the waiting room with a huge grin on her face. All of Glee Club turned to her expectantly, "Rose Adeline Berry was born at 8:27 and is in perfect condition. The mother is tired but fine."

The group cheered and rushed to hug the blonde.

"Looks like we are all aunts and uncles now." Brittany smiled, "When can we see Rachel and the baby?"

"Later." Quinn said, "They are checking to make sure the baby really is okay and Rachel is resting. You guys should go back to the theater. They should be announcing the winner soon."

"Come with us." Santana asked.

"No, I am going to go back to Rachel." Quinn refused.

"Don't bother." Hiram and Leroy came up behind her, "She is out like a light. Go with your friends. She will probably still be sleeping when you get back."

"Well alright then." Quinn agreed and joined the rest of New Directions to see their fate.

/

New Directions, Aural Intensity, and Vocal Adrenaline were all lined up on stage waiting anxiously to hear the judges' results. Sue Sylvester came out first leading the judges on stage, "Let's get this over with."

She groused into the microphone, "In second place, we have the not at all stupidly named Aural Intensity."

The school was pleased with their victory celebrating as Josh Groban handed them a moderately sized trophy. Sue waited for them to bounce off stage before she moved on, "And now the first place winner is… Vocal Adrenaline!"

The crowd applauded while the Carmel High kids began to whoop and holler over their fourth consecutive win. Through all of the confetti and shouting, New Directions stood paralyzed with the realization that they had lost. They had put forth their best effort and it had still not been enough to win.

"We lost." Artie murmured, "We did not even place."

"It is all over." Kurt looked traumatized. The cheesy news anchor handed Mr. Schuester their consolation prize trophy.

"We did our best." Quinn told them, "Besides there are more important things now. Like Rachel wants you all to be the baby's godparents. You don't want to let her down, do you?"

"Not a chance." Santana cracked a smile. Even with Glee Club gone, they could still have something that tied them all together, "Now let's go see this kid."

Unfortunately, through all of the commotion no one noticed Shelby Corcoran's absence.

/

Shelby stood in front of the windowed room, staring longingly at the cradle labeled Rose Berry. The infant was fast asleep, a little angel. She was the baby girl that she always wanted. She was everything to her and it was so unfair for Rachel to keep her to herself. The brunette was just a teenager, practically a child herself, not fit to raise her own. Shelby could be a mother. She could provide for the baby what Rachel could not; stability, routine, order.

A nurse was passing by. No one else was in the hallway. Now was her chance, "Excuse me. I am Rachel Berry's mother. I was hoping that I could hold my granddaughter."

The nurse smiled at who she assumed to be a proud grandmother, "Of course. You know you look just like her."

"We get that a lot." Shelby followed her into the room. The nurse picked up the pink bundle and gently set her in Shelby's arms.

"She is beautiful." Shelby gazed adoringly at the child who grunted upset in her sleep.

"She is." The nurse agreed, "I have to go finish my rounds. I will be back to help you put her down."

"Oh that will not be necessary." Shelby called out to her as the busy nurse rushed away. The older woman stood there a moment, contemplating. Then she walked out the door with the baby still securely in her arms.

/

Quinn came back to the hospital feeling refreshed. She ran home to take a quick shower and change out of her ridiculous costume. She walked down the maternity wings hallway lightly, though she did dread having to upset Rachel with the news of their loss. She was still more excited to be able to hold baby Rose and seeing the way Rachel lit up when her daughter was around.

Quinn came up to the nurse's station. She was confused to find police officers there and questioning a frazzled nurse.

"Tell us one more time." A policewoman with a tight bun ordered.

"The woman said that she was the girl's mother… They looked just alike; I thought it would be okay. I thought it would be okay. I was only gone for ten minutes, I had to finish my round, I came back and they were gone. I have looked everywhere…" She explained.

"What did she look like?" But Quinn did not need to know what the woman looked like because she knew exactly who the nurse was talking about. She knew but she did not want to believe as she sprinted down the hall to Rachel's room, praying that she was in there holding the baby or Hiram rocking her in a chair next to Rachel's bed.

But Quinn felt sick with fear as she heard Rachel's strangled cries, her voice hardly sounded like her, "Where is my baby? Where is Rose?"

/

**Cliffhanger! So I feel like this chapter is short and badly written but we will see. Damn you, Shelby and Finn for ruining a perfectly happy story.**

**But please let me know what you think. I would like to hear your feedback.**


	18. Chapter 18

Rachel woke up in her hospital bed. Rubbing the sleep from her eyes, she looked over to her fathers. They smiled proudly at her, "Hey princess. How are you feeling?"

"I am fine Daddy." Rachel shifted and cringed, "A little sore though."

"Well, that is to be expected." Leroy chuckled, "You just pushed a 6 pound, 8 ounce bowling ball out of your body."

"Is that how you wish to refer to your granddaughter? As a bowling ball?" She pretended to be offended on her baby's behalf.

"Excuse me, I would not want to insinuate that she is anything less than an angel." He grinned good-naturedly at her.

"That is better." Rachel returned the smile.

"Really though Rachel." Hiram interjected, "She is beautiful."

Her father looked meaningfully at her. It was his way of apologizing for trying to give away Rose. She clasped his hand, "Thank you Papa. That means a lot to me."

"Speaking of my grandbaby. Let's see if we can have a little visit." Leroy rubbed his hands together. He could hardly wait to hold the little infant. "Quinn will be back soon. She did not even get a chance to hold her."

"Where did Quinn go?" Rachel asked mildly disappointed that she did not wake up to the blonde.

"She went home to shower." Leroy stood and stretched, "I will go fetch our little bundle of joy."

Rachel relaxed against the pillows, contentedly she sighed. Everything was fading away in a peaceful haze as her body became tired once again. She was not sure how long she had been dozing off for but she woke with a start when her father called her name softly. She looked over to him, anticipating seeing him with a little girl swaddled in a pink blanket. Instead, her dad looking extremely grave with a uniformed policeman by his side greeted her. She instantly became alarmed, "What is it? What has happened?"

"Rachel…" Her father began but he was taking to long to speak.

"Is Quinn alright? Where is she?" Rachel begged for him to tell her.

"Let your father talk. What is it Leroy?" Her Papa was leaning forward anxiously in his seat.

"Quinn is fine. It is not Quinn." He shook his head sadly. Rachel tried not to feel relieved at this news as she considered what else could have happened. Her father continued as he became choked up, "The baby… Rose… She is missing."

Everything around her stopped. It felt as though she was being sucked into a tunnel and she could not pull herself out, "That can't be. She is with the doctor or Puck is showing her off to the nurses."

"Miss, I am afraid the hospital reported her missing 30 minutes ago. They cannot find her anywhere." The policeman spoke up solemnly.

"Oh my god." Hiram's hand covered his mouth.

"No." Rachel shook her head. The word barely passed her lips when she heard loud cries that sounded like a wounded animal. She felt her fathers' arms slip around her and she realized the noise was coming from her.

/

Quinn skidded to a halt in front of Rachel's door as she clamored to get into the hospital room. Her heart thudded painfully in her chest and her throat constricted so that she could barely breath. The scene in the room was enough to tear her apart. A police officer was standing at the foot of Rachel's bed, an apologetic look on his face. Rachel was flailing and screaming while her fathers were trying to hold her back and calm her down, "Where is she? I want to see my baby!"

The police officer saw her first and held up his hands, "Miss, you need to wait outside."

"Quinn." Rachel whimpered and the blonde immediately flew to her side ignoring the officer's request. As soon as Quinn was within reach, the brunette wrestled herself out of her father's arms and latched onto the blonde like she were her lifeline. Quinn was obviously not going anywhere.

"What is going on?" The cheerleader's voice was laced with fear but tried to stay strong for Rachel who was passed the point of being consoled. She sobbed uncontrollably into her Cheerios sweater, completely collapsed against her chest. Quinn held her tightly and rubbed soothing circles on her back.

The officer grimaced. "We have reason to believe that Miss Berry's baby was taken by a woman claiming to be her mother. We are interviewing the nurse now. But we need to ask you some questions that might help lead us to the culprit."

"Shelby Corcoran." Quinn said without hesitation.

"Who?" The policeman asked while Rachel's fathers gasped collectively.

"She is Rachel's biological mother." Hiram looked confused at Quinn, "But we have not heard from her since Rachel was born. The contract states that she could not approach Rachel until she is 18. She could not have-"

"Shelby is the coach for Vocal Adrenaline. Rachel figured out she was her mother and they made contact." Quinn explained quickly. "Shelby was not ready to handle the relationship and stopped speaking to Rachel."

Leroy and Hiram looked floored at this information. Leroy glanced to Rachel who was not really taking part in the conversation, "How could she not have told us?"

"She did not want to hurt your feelings about wanting to find Shelby and talk to her." Quinn shushed Rachel who was trying to stutter out an apology to her fathers.

"Why do you think it is her?" The officer asked.

"I-" Quinn faltered. No one knew about the discussion she had with Rachel's mother, "I had a conversation with her. I was telling her to stay away from Rachel. She had hurt her enough. But while we were talking she said that she wanted her baby back. I think that she took this opportunity to steal Rose."

"You are sure about this?" He asked jotting down some notes onto a small pad of paper.

"Yes, she seemed really upset about missing out on having a child." Quinn flashed back to all of the times she had seen Shelby. How the older woman's eyes would linger on Rachel's stomach for too long. Had she seen jealousy in Shelby? How she only wanted a baby. How it had always been about the baby. She just did not see it until it was too late. "She was not at the awards ceremony at the Glee club competition tonight."

"Glee what?" The man was obviously not versed in show choir.

"She had to have missed it for something important." Quinn realized, kicking herself for being so blind. "It has to have been her."

"We will find a picture of her and show it to the nurse. We will keep you informed." The officer rushed out of the room to follow the thin lead.

"You really think it was Shelby?" Leroy asked Quinn as he stroked his daughter's hair.

"Without a doubt." Quinn began to rock Rachel. "Please sweetheart, you are going to make yourself sick."

"I can't- I can't-" Suddenly Rachel was clutching at her neck as she tried to inhale but could only manage short burst of air, "breathe-"

"She is having a panic attack." Hiram shot up. "I will get a doctor."

"Rachel, look at me. Take deep breathes." Quinn held onto her hands, making the smaller girl look her in the eye. It helped a little with her breathing coming in as shuddering sobs.

Hiram returned with a nurse who was armed with a syringe full of a clear liquid. She spoke in a gentle tone, "Rachel, we are going to give you something to relax, okay?"

The nurse injected the substance into the brunette's IV line as so protested, "No, I need to find my baby. No…"

"You need to rest Rach. Don't worry we will find her." Quinn whispered in her ear, "I won't rest until I find her."

"Find her… Rose…" Rachel mumbled as the drugs took hold of her rapidly and she began to slip unconscious. Quinn let out a shuddering breath. At least Rachel could have some reprieve in her sleep. The blonde stood upright, looking imploringly at Rachel's fathers, "What do we do?"

"What do you mean?" Hiram rasped as he and his husband stood close, consoling each other.

"When things like this happen, what do you do? I can't just sit here." Quinn began to pace about the room, nervously tugging on her hair.

"Quinn, honey," Leroy caught her to hold her still, "I am afraid that is all we can do. We have to wait to hear from the police."

Quinn wanted to protest but she was interrupted by an eruption of shouting from the hallway. Her eyes shot to Rachel to ensure that the petite diva was still fast asleep. She did not even move she was so heavily sedated. Quinn pulled away from the Berry men and went to investigate the disturbance. Puck was in the hallway shouting and raving to anyone in the vicinity, "What do you mean missing? You lost a baby! How do you lose a baby?"

Quinn glanced at Brittany, Santana, and Mercedes who were huddled off to the side of the angry boy, probably there to see the baby with Puck who was still yelling, "I will not calm down. Not until you tell me where my daughter is!"

"Puck, she is not here." Quinn said sternly catching there attention. The tough boy looked confused at the blonde, like he did not understand the words she was saying. They stared at each other, each knowing that they felt the same pain.

"Can you please tell us what is going on Q." Santana looked like she was a second away from snapping. She was holding Brittany around the waist her head resting on the blonde's shoulder.

"I think, I think that Shelby Corcoran took Rose." Quinn did her best to keep her emotions in check.

"Took her?" Puck asked.

"She was kidnapped." Quinn clarified. Puck rubbed the shaved sides of his head. He was shaking with rage until it unleashed itself. He whirled around with a roar, his hand curling into a fist that slammed into the wall. Puck punched through the dry wall, his hand disappearing behind the white surface. His badass image slipped away and he fell onto his knees, his hand pulling free from the wall revealing bloody knuckles. Puck began to cry as Quinn joined him on the floor.

"I know. I am scared too but we will find her." Quinn squeezed one of his broad shoulders. Puck clenched his jaw nodding determinedly. She nodded, "Your hand will need stitches. You should go down to the ER."

They helped each other up, "It is not that bad."

He tried to wipe the blood off on his jeans. Quinn persisted, "Puck, it needs looked at."

"I will take him down there." Mercedes volunteered. She took him by the elbow and gave Quinn a sympathetic look. The blonde silently thanked her for her help as they walked down the hallway; a policeman was following to probably ask Puck some questions. The policewoman began asking Brittany and Santana questions about their relationship with Rachel and other things. Quinn took the opportunity to slip into the stairway unnoticed. She was alone, the florescent light flickering above her head, and finally she fell apart. She faced the wall, her forehead pressed against the cool brick, her body wracked with sobs.

Her mind flashed to the infant that she had only just seen hours before. She had only been able to admire her from Rachel's arms before she was whisked away by the doctors. But she was so perfect, her pink skin soft under her fingertips as she traced them across her forehead, cheeks, and tiny nose that looked just like Rachel's. Quinn had to believe that she would see her again, that she would have the chance to hold her.

Quinn felt someone wrap their arms around her middle, then heard Santana speak softly into her ear, "It will be okay. Everything will be fine."

Quinn wept, the hall eerily echoing her cries back to her, while her best friend stood solidly behind her, offering what little condolences she could. The blonde finally calmed down enough to utter some words, "I did not get to hold her San."

"But you will." Santana insisted. Quinn could hear by her voice that the Latina had been crying too, "They will find her and bring her home."

"What if I am wrong? What if it is not Shelby and what if some stranger has her? What if they…" Quinn could not bring herself to ask the question. What if they hurt Rose?

"You cannot think like that." Santana turned her around to speak to her directly, "If Shelby does not have Rose, then the police will find out who does and return her safely."

She emphasized the word safely. Quinn nodded and wiped her eyes, trying to regain her composure, "I am just so afraid and… angry."

"Me too Q." Santana hugged her again, "But Rachel is going to be a mess, and she is going to need you to be strong for her."

Quinn strengthened her resolve at the thought of Rachel. The new mother was absolutely broken up about the loss of her child. Quinn had made a promise that Rose would be coming home and she fully intended upon keeping it.

After cleaning herself up and talking to the police a bit more, she made her way back into Rachel's room. The little brunette was still fast asleep while her fathers sat around her, their faces grim and worn.

"Quinn, where have you been?" Leroy asked, his voice was thick with tears and sleep.

"Talking to the police some more." She said tiredly as she sunk into a chair next to Rachel's bed.

"Those bastards were talking us as well. Treating us like suspects when the person who did this is still out there with our baby." Leroy growled annoyed. Quinn nodded vaguely. The police had acted as if she were suspicious as well. She knew that often time when children went missing, it was usually someone close to the child. It had made her upset too but she tried to understand that the police were just doing their job and she would go through anything to get Rose back.

"I gave them a piece of my mind…" Leroy continued to rant but Quinn had stopped listening. She stared at Rachel as she slept. Even with her slumbering, the brunette's face was twisted into a slight grimace. She huffed uncomfortably but did not wake up. Quinn clasped her hand in her own, running the pad of her thumb cross smooth knuckles. It seemed to help a bit as Rachel's mouth relaxed.

"Honey, let's go get some coffee in the cafeteria." Hiram interrupted his husband who had still been talking. Quinn still did not take notice as she kept her vigilance with Rachel. The two men watched the pair sadly for a moment. Quinn did not hear them murmur quietly to themselves.

"What do you see?" Hiram asked.

Leroy slipped his arm around his husband's shoulders, "I see parents aching for their child."

Hiram nodded, "That is what I thought."

The turned and left to give the girls some privacy. Quinn dropped her head so that is rested on hers and Rachel's conjoined hands. With tears leaking out of her eyes she did something she had not done in a long time. She prayed.

/

Rachel shot straight up in bed the only sound that greeted her was the labored panting of her own breath. And then the tears came. The still silence of her dark bedroom only served as a painfully reminder of the fact that Rose was still missing. The infant's cries that haunted her in her dreams and made her wake with a start every night were devastatingly absence in her house, inevitably leading her to crying her eyes out, the bedroom filling with her mourning. But like the nights before, Rachel felt Quinn slip her arms around her waist, and pull her securely against the blonde's front. Her girlfriend whispered sweet nothings into her hair and she could feel Quinn's tears rolling down the back of her neck. It was enough to make the pain bearable.

It had been three excruciating days since Rose had been taken from the hospital and the police had still turned up with nothing. They had shown a picture of Shelby to the nurse who had last seen Rose. She confirmed that it was the woman who she had let in to hold the baby but for all of their searching they could not seem to find her. They checked her apartment and found it abandoned with just a suitcase and some clothes missing but her car was still in the garage. The police talked to her neighbors to see if they had seen her or Rose but the search turned up empty. The officers had even questioned Jessie St. James but it proved to be fruitless as well. It was as if the pair had just vanished off the face of the earth entirely.

Rachel sniffled, "I am sorry."

Neither girl was getting a lot of sleep with Rachel's nightmare waking them up at regular intervals in the night as if her body was adjusted to an infants feeding schedule. She still used a breast pump to be ready for when her daughter was returned to them.

"You have nothing to be sorry for." Quinn shushed her. The blonde had scarcely left her side, which included sleeping arrangements. The Berry men had originally set up the guidelines that Quinn was to stay in the basement on the fold out couch. They would eventually turn it into a bedroom for her so she did not have to sleep on a soft even though it was a bed. They just wanted to give her a more permanent sense of home. But all thought of this was thrown out the window as Quinn was the only one who could get Rachel to sleep when she was upset. There was no question that Quinn would be sharing Rachel's room with her.

"God, I miss her." Rachel had stopped audibly crying but tears still fell down her cheeks. She did not know it was possible to even cry this much. Quinn tightly her hold on Rachel's flattening midriff. Rachel desperately wished that her stomach was still swollen under Quinn's touch and there was the reassuring kick of a baby inside of her, because there she had been safe.

"Me too baby." Quinn croaked.

"I feel like she is so close." Rachel whimpered. "I can feel her."

"We are going to get her back." Quinn soothed.

"How Quinn? The police have found nothing as to where Shelby could be." Rachel felt herself fill up with frustration.

"But they will find something and eventually find Rose." Quinn kissed her shoulder.

"But when?" Rachel was raising her voice and developing a hysterical edge.

"Baby, you have to calm down and get some sleep." Quinn worried over her.

"I am too tired to sleep." Rachel sighed. She leaned back trying to gain some comfort from her supportive girlfriend.

"Here take the pills the doctor gave you." Quinn reached to the nightstand, "They will help you sleep."

Rachel resigned herself to the medication. She and Quinn had disputed about it. She hated taking them. It made her feel like she had no control over her body and dulled her senses. But when she woke up screaming bloody murder her first night home, the blonde had quickly won the argument. The brunette took a pill, washing it down with a glass of water next to her bed that her dads had left there. Quinn laid them down and Rachel nestled her face into the crook of her neck, breathing in the sweet smell of Quinn's skin, "Thank you for being here."

"I couldn't be anywhere else." Quinn rubbed her arm gently.

"I love you." Rachel began to feel the drugs take hold in her system, pulling her down to sleep.

"I love you too." Was the last thing that she heard before she slipped away.

/

Quinn watched Rachel sleep for a moment, glad to know that Rachel would not be waking up for the rest of the night with a second dose of the sleeping aid. The blonde kissed her delicately on the lips before extracting herself completely from her girlfriend. The smaller girl whined lightly but settled back down when Quinn lovingly stroked her cheek. Carefully getting out of bed, she pulled on a pair of jeans that she had left crumpled on the floor. Grabbing her shoes, she stealthily snuck out of the room and down the hall, passed Rachel's father's room where she could hear muffled voices coming from within. She paused a moment to listen.

Hiram was crying while Leroy was attempting to calm him, "We will get her back. It is just going to take some time."

"Still, I was the one who wanted to put her up for adoption. But if I had known it would feel like this… Oh god, I wanted her gone." Hiram shuddered.

"That is not the same thing." Leroy said firmly.

"It is." Hiram felt responsible.

"Stop this now." Leroy ordered, "You wanted Rose somewhere safe, not taken by a deranged woman. It does not mean you loved her less."

"I just wish she were here." Hiram was quieting and Quinn moved on feeling sorry for the grandfathers.

Creeping down the steps, she made her way to the living room where she could see the silhouette of someone sleeping on the couch.

"Puck. Hey Puck." She whispered and shook his shoulder slightly.

"Huh? What is it?" Puck sat up immediately. The badass had taken to sleeping at the Berry's to help support Rachel and so he could be around should any news come. He really needed to be around them, just as much as they needed his strong presence.

"Sh." Quinn warned, "We are going out."

"Out where?" Puck asked still trying to rid himself of sleep.

"I made Rachel a promise in the hospital to bring Rose back home and I am not going to disappoint her." Quinn said determinedly.

"Well let's go then." Puck jumped on board instantly.

"Alright. You are going to break in to Shelby's house and look for something the police missed." Quinn ordered.

"Piece of cake. What are you going to do?" He asked.

"I am going to talk to Jessie St. James. I have a feeling he is not giving up the whole story." Quinn looked forward to unleashing some of her anger of the boy.

"Why do you get to go beat on Jessie?" It looked as though Puck was literally pouting.

"Because you can get away with breaking into her home. It does not do anyone any good to have you arrested for aggravated assault, especially Rachel and the baby." Quinn told him.

"Fine." He grumbled and got up to join the blonde. They quietly left the Berry house and went to their separate cars. Puck drove off in his truck to go to Shelby's apartment while Quinn went the opposite way to Jessie's home.

The blonde pulled up to the house surprised to find lights still on in the home despite it being almost one in the morning. Turning off her engine, she went to the front door, rapping on it sharply. It only took a moment for someone to open the door. Quinn saw Jessie standing in the yellowish light of the hall that now spilled onto the porch.

"Oh shit." The boy muttered as he tried to slam the door shut but Quinn was faster.

"Nice to see you too St. James." The blonde pushed her way into the house. "I think you know why I am here."

"Look, I have nothing to do with kidnapping Rachel's baby." He backed away slowly from her threatening form.

"Well that is what we are going to find out." Quinn menaced.

"Please the police already cleared me." Jessie cowered now, "You even saw me at the theater that night. I had nothing to do with it."

"Shelby confided in you about a lot of things." Quinn kept her glare trained on him, "You don't expect me to believe that you don't have any idea of where she would go."

"She did not say anything to me about taking the baby or where she would go with her. I swear." He was really shaking in his shoes now.

"Jessie, I am going to give you one chance to tell me something helpful. I know you did not tell the police everything." Quinn cracked her knuckles in preparation. "You have this one chance to tell me, or I will rearrange your face."

"Okay! Okay!" He said frantically. "I know of Shelby's parents house. They lived outside of Lima on Morse Road just passed that old Smith barn before they died. They left the house to her."

"And I was so looking forward to beating the shit out of you." Quinn sounded disappointed as she backed off slightly.

"That is it? You are going to leave?" Jessie asked surprised, tentatively relaxing.

"As it turns out I have more important things to do than waste my time on scum like you." Quinn was already turning to leave and pulling out her cell phone to call Puck.

"Well, good luck finding your bastard child-" Quinn did not hesitate to whip around and punch him in the stomach, hard. The arrogant boy fell to the ground with the wind knocked out of him; he coughed and gasped for air.

"Watch your mouth St. Shithead." Quinn spat before storming out of the house.

Her phone rang twice before Puck answered, "Puck, I think I have a lead. St. James told me about Shelby's parents house. I think I am going to check out there."

"I will go with you. I am turning up nothing here." Puck sighed discouraged.

"Alright, I will meet you out there. It is just passed the Smith barn on Morse Road." Quinn informed him.

"See you in a few." Puck hung up and Quinn sped off into the night.

It was not a long drive. Lima was a small town and it was a brief ride through some suburbs and a miniscule downtown district before she found herself on the country roads that dominated the area. Passing the deteriorating red barn, she made an abrupt right onto a gravel driveway. It was a bumpy journey down the rough path before her bobbing headlights found a yellow, darkened house. Quinn pulled up underneath a big oak tree and turned the car off. She paused a moment, her fingers gripped the steering wheel so that they looked stark white. The blonde's heart pounded uncomfortably in her chest. She was hit with the realization that she could find something that could really lead her to Rose.

Stepping out of the car, she breathed in the fresh night air. The temperature still dropped at night even with summer approaching. Quinn shivered when the wind picked up blowing through her sweater. The only noise that accompanied her were crickets and her own breathing, which turned into a white cloud in front of her mouth. She scanned the shadowy surroundings. She did not see a car parked outside or one in the garage when she peered through the black windows. She began to walk the perimeter of the house, looking for any signs of people living inside there. It seemed like no one was home. She reached the back of small structure and found a patio and deck set. Quinn went to investigate whether the door was unlocked and accidentally kicked a rusty pail. The sound was deafening in the still night as she grabbed the clanking metal to silence it. Quinn crouched out and just listened for a moment, should she hear an irate farmer coming with a shotgun. But she did not hear the heavy footfalls of a man; instead she heard something that made her heart stop.

In the cold night, she heard the thin wail of an infants cry. At first she thought it was her imagination playing tricks on her. But as she stood and mechanically made her way to the door, it became louder and more distinct. Quinn was ripping open the back door, breaking the flimsy lock it had in place. She hardly had time to look at her strange environment as she barreled through the kitchen and down a narrow hallway, following the sound. One door was slightly ajar, and she immediately pushed her way through.

In the room, a bassinet sat against the wall, the baby crying was the only thing that Quinn could hear as she dropped to her knees in front of the cradle. Quinn looked down at the squalling infant and let out her own cry of relief. The baby was red in the face from crying so hard, her tiny features scrunched in distress, but Quinn would recognize Rose anywhere. She put a shaky hand on her small tummy, "Shush baby, I got you. I got you. Shush Rosie."

The blonde cautiously reached into the small crib and with the utmost care lift the squirming baby into her arms. Quinn held her as close as possible, she inhaled the clean baby smell, "I have you now. We are going to go home to Mommy. She has missed you so much."

Rose's screams diminished to whimpers and Quinn started to rock her gently, singing, "You are my sunshine, my only sunshine. You make me happy when skies are gray. You'll never know dear how much I love you, so please don't take my sunshine away."

Quinn smiled tearfully down at the baby who was now beginning to drift off completely. Quinn had never been so relieved, happy, or joyous in her whole life. She could go home to Rachel with their daughter. The suffering was over.

"What are you doing with my baby?" Shelby's sinister voice snarled into the peaceful scene. Quinn held the baby protectively against her chest; she squared off with the older woman, meeting her hard stare.

"This is not your baby. You stole her from your own daughter." Quinn said her voice dangerously low.

"My daughter who is far to young to be raising a child of her own. She cannot handle the responsibility." Shelby snapped.

"Since you know nothing about Rachel, I would say that is not your decision to make." Quinn laid Rose back down just in case Shelby made a lunge for her. She could not risk her getting her, not when she had just found her. "Besides you left a 3 day old baby in the house by herself. That does not show the best parenting."

"I just needed to get out for a couple hours." Shelby rubbed her temples, "She has barely stopped crying."

"She could be sick." Quinn glanced worried at Rose, her fear for the baby overriding keeping her sights on Shelby. "She needs to go to the hospital."

"Well that is not your concern." Quinn did not see that Shelby rushing her until in was too late. The tall brunette tackled her to the ground. Pain blossomed in the back of her head as it connected with the hard wood floor. The blonde tried to gain the upper hand as she fought to shake off the disorientation she felt while her hands grappled with Shelby's. The larger woman was using her size and position on top of her to her advantage. Quinn struggled to breath but would not stop fighting.

And then the weight was gone. Air freely rushed into her lungs and she was rapidly blinking away the black that had begun to spot her vision. When she finally adjusted herself, she saw Puck holding on to Shelby tightly as she struggled.

"Let go of me!" she hollered. Rosie was crying again.

Quinn staggered to her feet, "Glad you could make it."

"I got lost on the way." Puck grunted as the older woman wrestled against his grip. "Is it her? Is it Rose?"

"It's her." Quinn picked her up so that she was safe in her arms once again. "We have her."

Everything happened so fast now. Quinn called the police and within minutes flashing lights and sirens were speeding up the drive. Two men took Shelby from Puck's iron like hold and put her in the back of a cop car while reciting her Miranda Rights. She cursed and screamed the whole way, claiming that it was rightful her child. Quinn could only stare at Rosie who looked up at her cooing, surprisingly calm with all of the commotion going on around her.

As soon as Puck's hands were free he reached out for his daughter and Quinn reluctantly handed Rosie over to him. He cried openly over the infant as her looked at her like he did the day she was born.

Paramedics swarmed them, trying to check out the baby in Puck's arms but he would not relinquish her to them.

"Are you alright Miss? Are you hurt?" One of the ambulance workers was trying to make her sit down as he flashed a small light in her eyes.

Quinn batted him away, "I hit my head on the ground but I am fine."

"Let's at least ice it." He insisted as he touched the tender part in the back of her head. She flinched in pain and agreed. Quinn, Puck and the baby were ushered into the ambulance and they sped off to the hospital.

/

"Rachel, Rachel sweetie, wake up." Rachel heard her Daddy's voice and felt him shaking her lightly but it was very difficult to wake up under the influence of sleeping pills. She groaned and felt around the bed for Quinn. But she was disappointed when her hand slid across the cool mattress, never reaching her girlfriend.

"Rachel you need to wake up." Her father persisted. Finally Rachel was able to pry her eyes open. Her alarm clock read 4:06 in bold, red numbers.

"What is it Daddy?" Rachel voice was laden with sleep. She looked around for any signs of Quinn, panicking slightly when the blonde was nowhere to be found.

"Quinn and Puck are at the hospital." He physically began to help her up.

"What?" Rachel was definitely panicking now as she pushed off of her father and threw on a pair of jean and one of Quinn's sweaters over her tank top, "Why? How?"

The brunette was so muddled with sleep as she stumbled about the room trying to get ready to leave. She was already on the verge of tears. The small girl could not take anymore bad news. Her father caught her before she was about to fall, "I am not sure how they got there but they are not hurt. That is what the hospital said. Just take a minute and breath."

"They are alright." Rachel sighed out.

"Yes." He confirmed.

"Then what is going on?" Rachel demanded to know.

"I don't know princess. We have to get there to find out." He pulled her under his arm, "Come on, Papa is starting the car."

The car ride to the hospital was tense and silent as the Berry's drove. Rachel was extremely alert now. She was anxious to be rejoined with Quinn and have her explain what was happening. The worried family rushed into the building and was given instructions on where to find the two teenagers. They went to the fifth floor waiting room and immediately saw Puck and Quinn sitting there, exhausted. Quinn was holding an ice pack to the back of her head.

"Quinn!" Rachel rushed forward and threw herself at her girlfriend.

"Baby, you are here." Quinn easily caught her and pulled her onto her lap. She dropped the cold applicant and cuddled her close, nuzzling into her neck.

"What is going on? You scared me half to death." Rachel pushed her face into honey blonde hair.

"I am sorry baby." Quinn apologized, "I was supposed to be back before you woke up."

"But where were you?" Rachel pulled back to look at Quinn's face. She saw that her girlfriend's eyes shone happily.

"We found her Rach." Quinn said with a small smile.

"Found her?" The brunette could hardly believe her ears. Did Quinn mean?

"Rosie. I went to Jessie's house and he told me about Shelby's parents house. We found her there. Shelby has been arrested. The baby is home." Quinn was glowing. Rachel heard her father's gasp behind her. Rachel felt herself filling with emotion. Where all of the sadness and fear had been joy and relief replaced it as she left out a sound that was halfway between a sob and laughter. Tears of happiness fell freely as she hugged Quinn to her.

"Thank you. Oh god, thank you." Rachel said in between tears.

"I promised you I would bring her back." Quinn murmured.

"Thank you." Rachel breathed. When she finally regained her senses about her, she demanded, "I want to see her."

"She is with the doctor now. He is checking her over. She will not stop crying though. Both Puck and I have tried." Quinn warned as she stood up after Rachel who had jumped into her father's arms in celebration. The Berry men were wiping their own tears from their eyes at having received the news that their granddaughter had been found safe and sound.

The little group made their way down the sterile hall, a baby's cries becoming more and more obvious. Rachel squeezed Quinn's hand tightly until they finally passed through the threshold were her daughter was. An older doctor was hovering over the infant, stethoscope placed over her heart. Rachel felt fresh tears start again at the beautiful sight of Rosie.

The doctor looked up at the family, "The baby is fine. In perfect health but perhaps a little hungry."

"Go on baby." Quinn encouraged her. Rachel slowly walked to the cradle where her baby lay wailing her lungs out, but it was the most welcome sound she had ever heard. With great reverence, she lifted Rose up into her arms. The string that had been pulling on her heart, finally let go, and allowed her to her filled with love, "Mommy's got you. Oh baby girl."

She began to hum a soothing melody and swaying slightly. She gave Rosie her finger to suckle on for the time being and it seemed to soothe her with the motion. She turned to her audience and beamed at them as they enjoyed the beautiful reunion in front of them.

"Quinn." She wished her girlfriend close to her and the blonde was instantly by her side. "You brought her back to us. I can't-"

"You don't have to say anything. I would be lost without her too." Quinn stared lovingly at the mother and child.

"I love you so much." Rachel professed.

"I love you too baby. Both of you." Quinn turned her eyes onto the baby and stroked her dark locks. Rachel looked down at the contented bundle in her arms as well, overwhelmed with having her child once again. For the first time in days, with Rosie in her arms and Quinn's arm around her waist, Rachel felt peaceful.

/

**This felt like it took me a long time, too long. I had a hard time committing to what was going to happen in this chapter. But you reviews were so encouraging and thank you to everybody for taking an interest in my story.**

**Quinn is a bit of a hero in this huh? I am really interested in what you guys think of this chapter since it is the first that has nothing to do with a related episode. Enjoy!**


	19. Chapter 19

Piercing cries came through the baby monitor. Quinn pried her eyes open and saw that the alarm clock read 4:02. Right on time she thought. Rachel, who was resting with her head on Quinn's chest, rolled away from her, kicking her gently as she did so, "Your turn."

Rachel mumbled as she settled down on her side of the bed, pulling the covers more tightly around her body and in the process pulling them completely off of Quinn. The blonde groaned but sat up in bed, rubbing the sleep from her eyes. Rose's feeding schedule was not quite conducive for sleeping through the night, leaving the girls often very tired. Fortunately, today was their last day of school before summer started, allowing them some reprieve from the exhausting cycle. The blonde sleepily shuffled downstairs to warm some breast milk up for the hungry baby. She made it downstairs, squinting into the bright light of the refrigerator; she pulled out one of the prepared bottles. She had just stuck it in the microwave when she heard the crying cease.

She sighed, her head falling forward as if it were too heavy for her to keep it up herself. She took the still cold milk from the microwave and returned it to the refrigerator. She tripped back up the stairs and made her way to the nursery. The cheerleader peered inside and looked at the sight that always managed to make her heart flutter.

Rachel was already in the rocking chair with Rosie contentedly feeding. The brunette was reclined back with her heavy eyes shut and she sang softly, "Rain drops on roses and whiskers on kittens, bright copper kettles and warm woolen mittens… These are a few of my favorite things."

Quinn just leaned in the doorway and observed the two girls. Watching Rachel and Rose made her feel close to tears. Both of them just made her so happy that it melted her ice queen exterior, which not much could do. This was her family now and it was so perfect. Rachel opened her eyes and instantly saw Quinn. She smiled sheepishly at her girlfriend. Quinn smiled back.

"You know baby," Quinn walked into the room, "You always say it is my turn but you inevitably seem to make it here before me."

"I am sorry." Rachel said bashfully, "But I can't help it. I have to come see her."

She looked down lovingly at Rosie who was sleeping peacefully now. Quinn understood completely. It had been nearly two weeks since they had found Rose and it was nearly impossible for them to draw themselves away from. For the first week, Rachel barely put the baby down, unless she was letting Quinn, Puck, or her fathers hold her. School days went painfully slow as both girls just waited until the moment they could go home to Rosie, especially Rachel. It was as if she were afraid that if she let go, or let her out of her sight, Rose would disappear again. It was the most frightening experience of their lives and they did not want to go through that again. Quinn was actually surprised that Leroy and Hiram were not here. They too were constantly hovering over her granddaughter.

"How is the little angel?" Suddenly both of Rachel's fathers wandered in wearing matching blue striped pajamas. Quinn threw her arms up in the arm.

"Can some explain to me why I am up right now if this little girl has three people looking after her?" Quinn asked pretending to be exasperated.

Rachel laughed lightly, "Oh stop it Quinn. You know you would be here no matter what as well."

Quinn shrugged guilty, "Now let me see her."

Rachel lift Rose away from her body and easily transferred her over to Quinn. The blonde swayed to lull the baby back to sleep after being jostled. She nestled against Quinn, who became mesmerized by the slumbering child.

"We should try to get some more sleep." Rachel said regretfully as she stood up, breaking Quinn out of her trance.

"You do have to be awake in a couple of hours." Hiram agreed.

"Easy for you to say." Quinn griped as she laid Rose done in her rightful crib, "You get to spend all day with her."

Hiram was the lucky one who had been able to take time off of work and look after Rose while the girls finished high school for the summer.

"Only until tomorrow." Hiram looked sadly down into the bassinet, "Then it is back to work. I will miss my quality time with my little Rose."

No one made any movement to leave the room. Quinn looked over to Rachel, "How about we just watch her sleep?"

"Tempting but no." Rachel leaned down and brushed a kiss against Rose's forehead. "Come on, well need to get some sleep. Tomorrow is our last Glee rehearsal ever."

Rachel said glumly. Now that Rose was home, they could return to their lives once again. Before, Rachel was nearly catatonic at times, uninterested in anything, including singing. Everything was suspended in time, waiting for the lost daughter to be returned so that they could move on. But now moving on meant they had to face another reality of the Glee Club disbanding. The blow of losing New Directions was lessened by the gravity of the situation involving Rose but it still sucked.

"I know." Quinn sighed, "Let's just enjoy the moments we have left."

Rachel nodded and they headed back to her room to try and get some sleep.

/

"This is the cutest baby ever." Mercedes stated as she took her turn in holding Rose. All of the Glee members sat on the choir room in a circle and passing the baby around, fawning over the precious infant.

"Agreed." Kurt held her little foot and cooed at the baby, "And such a little fashionista."

"Alright cut the crap. My turn." Santana demanded, "Hand her over Wheezy."

Mercedes glared but gave the bright-eyed baby over to the Latina. Santana absolutely melted when the little girl looked up at her, "Hi Rosie. Oh Auntie Santana loves you."

Rachel laughed at the normally tough girls antics with her daughter. Her Papa had surprised her and Quinn by dropping Rose for their last practice together. It was a perfect way to end the year.

"She is so tiny San. Can we keep her?" Brittany asked innocently. Rachel stiffened at Brittany's question. The blonde girl meant no harm in it, but the thought of someone else having her child still scared her.

"It is alright." Quinn whispered in her ear, having felt the diva panic, "She is not going anywhere."

Rachel relaxed, leaning more into her girlfriend. It was wonderful that their friends knew about their relationship now. They could finally just be who they were, bestowing little affections, not having to hide the secret from them anymore. Of course that did not mean the rest of the school was ready to know about the odd couple's relationship. But Rachel knew that when they finally came out that they would have the support of eight fantastic people. Finn however was a different story. He had yet to show up to Glee Club since he had stormed out at Regionals. Whenever he saw Rachel or Quinn in the hallway, he would scowl and immediately walk off in the other direction.

"I don't think so Brit." Santana laughed lightly, "In fact someone seems to be getting fussy for her mommy."

Rose was indeed beginning to scrunch her face and squirm in discomfort. The newborn could only be passed around so much before she got cranky and she had seen a lot of hands today. Rachel was quick to stand and reclaim her daughter from her friend.

"What is the matter little one?" Rachel soothed, "Are you missing your nap?"

The brunette took her seat next to Quinn, rocking Rose lightly. Quinn softly played with the dark shock of curls on top of the little girl's head and soon she was drifting off to sleep.

"You are so natural with her Rachel. You too Quinn." Tina watched the couple in awe of how natural it looked. If you were to have told her a year ago that Rachel and Quinn were going to be in love and have a baby together, she would have checked them into the mental hospital.

"Hey what about me?" Puck asked pretending to be offended. Everyone laughed.

"You know, you are an excellent father Noah." Rachel smiled at him as he looked proudly at the infant in her arms.

Mr. Schuester walked in on the precious scene with a grin, "I see we have a new member for New Directions today."

"Yeah, Rachel's father dropped her off for the rest of the afternoon." Quinn explained happily.

"It is too bad that she will only get to be apart of the team for one day." Puck said gruffly but his voice was still stained with disappointment. The smiles in the room faltered. It was a happy time, but the disbanding of their favorite club was a rain cloud hover over them.

"Yes, it would have been wonderful for Rosie to grow up and be a part of something this special." Rachel sighed sadly that this opportunity would not be afforded to her daughter.

"About that…" Mr. Schue leaned against the piano with a secretive smile. New Directions leaned forward in anticipation as the choir director paused for dramatic effect, "We have another year!"

"What?" Kurt shouted, jumping out of his seat.

"Hell yeah," Puck bumped fists with Artie while the others cheered. Unfortunately the commotion disturbed the sleeping infant who promptly began to cry at being startled.

"Oh sorry baby." Rachel apologized and tried to get Rose to settle back down.

"Here let me." Puck offered as he took his daughter. "Hear that Rosie, we get a second chance."

Rachel laughed at Puck as he celebrated with the baby. She felt Quinn's arms slip around her waist and she happily turned to face the blonde, her own arms finding her way around Quinn's neck, "Looks like we have another shot at this."

"So it seems." Rachel toyed with blonde hair, "It won't be easy, you know."

"I know." Quinn nodded.

"Sue will probably be trying to sabotage us at every turn." Rachel sighed.

"Probably." Quinn agreed.

"David and the rest of the school will still be uncultured Neanderthals." Rachel reminded her.

"Of course." Quinn conceded.

"We have to raise a baby, graduate high school, and make it to Broadway." Rachel listed off.

"Yeah, but we will make it." Quinn said confidently.

"How do you know?" Rachel let some insecurity slip into her voice.

"I know because not only do I believe in you, I have complete faith in us. As long as we are together, I know that we will find some way to make it work." Quinn looked down on her girlfriend with total adoration. "And we will always have our friends and your family to rely on."

"They are your family now too Quinn." Rachel told her. "What is mine is yours."

"Our family." Quinn corrected herself glancing around the room at the people who she had become so close to in the last year.

"I love you Quinn." Rachel rested her forehead against Quinn's, her lips hovering centimeters from the blonde's as she took comfort in her words.

"I love you too baby, so much." Quinn closed the gap as their lips moved gently together. They did not even notice when the Glee Club's cheering became directed at them.

* * *

**It has been a while I know. But I got way busy. I feel done with the story. So this is a sweet little wrap up to Season one.**

**You think it needs a sequel? I would be interested in having some discussion as to where the story could go.**

**Let me know what you guys think! It would be very appreciated **


End file.
